Crash Landing
by Annacaza
Summary: Annacaza Anara makes an emergency crash-landing on Dagobah. Injured, and with no survival tools or experience, she accepts death. However, Luke stumbles across her during his training. Luke/OC.
1. Landing

The small ship sailed quietly under a blanket of stars in the outer ring of the galaxy. The young pilot that steered the small ship was a girl, and at twenty-one years of age, a very good pilot, to the surprise of many. At her hip, a blaster sat snug, pushing lightly against the seat that she sat in. Her dark brown eyes were trained only on the open space in front of her, and her wavy brown hair framed her face in a way that made her look almost professional.

Her name was Annacaza Anara, though nearly everybody who had encountered her called her by her common nickname, Anna. She was a soloist wanderer of the galaxy, with no specific home, but sometimes was involved in the dangerous art of smuggling for a living. She was very stealthy, which gave her the ability to avoid being caught easily, and as a result, her flying skills had increased dramatically. She didn't always smuggle, but when she did, she was always very attentive to her surroundings. Currently, she was cruising along over the atmosphere of Dagobah. She was flying almost care-free, completely relaxed, and leaning back in her seat.

It was what caught her by surprise when the dreaded failure alarm went off and the red lights started flashing. It was within an instant that she was sitting up in her seat, trying to sort of the problem, but she didn't have much time. The ship as on a decline, heading towards Dagobah. Her face crossed with confusion and partial fear, but it was rare that she would show her fear. Then again, it was rare for her ship to malfunction. Never before had it been so concealed. There were at least five different problems. She knew that she had no chance to fix it within the time frame she had.

Fighting desperately to keep the ship under control, Anna began to prepare for a crash landing on Dagobah. She had never been to the swampy planet, and for good reason. She had never found it appealing in any way. It felt like there was something within the planet that could hold a dark power, one that she did not want to experiment with. Now, she was forced to land on it to save her life.

Anna pulled up hard on the ship, and it lifted ever so slightly, She entered into the murky atmosphere of the planet, and tried once again to pull up. Tree limbs whacked at the side of her ship, and she could hear the sound of the uneven ground scratching the belly of her ship. She suddenly lurched as the ship hit the ground, but didn't slow down, no matter how hard she tried. Her momentum came to a grinding halt when the ship smashed right into a tree, and she lurched forward, nearly flying right out of the ship. As she reached the peak of her momentum, her head struck the tree, and she was unconscious before she returned to her seat.


	2. Instinct

When Anna finally returned to a state of consciousness, she had no idea for how long she had been out for. However, she wanted to fall back asleep again as the pain in her body suddenly kicked in. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to feel the pain heighten and her body scream more than it already was.

Still, she knew she couldn't stay in the ship. When it rained on Dagobah, it was relentless, and didn't slow down for hours. With a heave of her arm, she undid her seat harness and lifted herself out of the ship, but the aching muscles in her arms almost instantly gave out. Still, she had raised herself enough to get out of her ship. With a few groans and gasps in pain, she fell to the muddy ground.

For a few seconds, she just laid there, waiting for the pain to subside jut a bit before she made an attempt to stand. Never before had she been to the planet, and she knew very little about it. Yet, there was something that Anna felt, like the dark feeling that the forests and swamps held was somehow bearable, like there was some sort of invisible light that the planet housed.

Taking a few deep breaths, Anna rolled onto her side, grunting in pain, and then helped herself up to her feet. She straightened slowly, and looked for support against the tree she had crashed into. Once again staying still until the pain passed, she looked around at the forest she was in.

It was never-ending. The trees and wet swampy ground seem to stretch on forever. It looked like nothing could ever live within the forests, as there was no room to build and even if there was, the swamps all around the surface made it undesirable. She turned to look at her small cruiser, which was completely damaged. There was nothing she could salvage from it. All she had was her blaster, which still rested in its place on her belt. Even if there was something in the cruiser, Anna did not have the strength to search for it.

Now, she needed to turn her attention to finding a place for shelter. She had never been stuck out in the wilderness before, left to her own devices. Knowing that she had some sort of protection at her hip was a bit relaxing, but it didn't help her find a good spot to stay. It would be a real challenge to find a dry piece of land anywhere on the planet because of the mud. Had her arms been spared the harsh treatment that they were given, she could have tried to climb a tree to stay off the ground, but her arms had taken a lot of damage. The glass from the windows had shattered on impact, and the shards had lodged themselves into her arms. They were also cut from the impact in general. Her head ached from where the tree had struck it, and she was surprised that she had been able to survive, now that she was thinking about it.

Moving in a staggering walk, Anna began to make her way in no particular direction. She was only searching for a place good enough to rest and hopefully speed up her healing. Her right arm was clasped against her body, as it had taken the worst damage. The left one was still pretty torn up, but it wasn't nearly as bad and the cuts weren't as deep. She didn't lose a lot of blood, as the cuts weren't big, only about a couple inches long. Still, she didn't want to look at them. The sight of her own blood was something that she would like to avoid.

She seemed to be walking and getting nowhere, so she stopped, and looked at the ground beneath a wide-trunked tree. It didn't look to be too wet, but she wasn't so sure. There was a lot of moss at the roots, which would hopefully make some sort of cushion for her to rest on. Slowly, she went to sit down beneath the tree. She was only sitting down for about two minutes before she put her head back against the tree, and drifted off almost instantaneously.

Anna woke suddenly, and became frightened at her surroundings. Then she remembered the land she was forced to take. She still had no idea what had happened during the calm flight that had made it malfunction, but there was no reason for her to think about that at the moment. All she needed to figure out was how she would get off the planet, or, the more likely option, how she was going to die on the planet. Still, all she really wanted to do was sleep, but she knew that it wouldn't be wise to let herself drift off. Her throat was dry, but she knew better than to drink from the swamp. Though Anna didn't know much about survival, she did know that the water would do a lot more harm than good. Her hunger hadn't yet set in, but it was coming. Not wanting to think any longer, she rested her head against the tree once again.


	3. Found

**Very sorry for the long delay of updates. I got caught up in writing some other things and this completely slipped my mind. I'll be working on this story more and post updates frequently. Thanks for your patience! —Anna**

The path that Luke ran across was damp and covered with a thin layer of water. The soles of his boots crashed against the water, disturbing it by displacing it everywhere. He looked ahead as he kept his jog up. On his back was an old Jedi master, but by no means did he look like one. No one would have guessed that it was Master Yoda, and that included Luke.

They arrived back at the home of the Jedi master, and Luke looked around the noisy swamp. He was sweating fiercely, but there was a different element of urgency. "Is there anyone else that lives here?" he asked, looking over at Yoda, who had sat down on a low rock.

"No," Yoda answered. "Some have been here, but return, they do not."

The answer unsettled Luke, and he wiped his face with the back of his hand. "I feel another presence here," he said, and looked out into the swampland again. "I'll be back in a few minutes." Not even waiting for Yoda's reply, he left the Jedi master alone and began to walk through the swamp, stepping over logs and pushing aside various things that hung down from the trees. He could feel that there was another being on this planet, and that was new to him. Never before had he felt such an attraction to the beings on the planet. Maybe it was because this being seemed to be in peril, and trapped in a dangerous situation. He constantly glanced around, searching for the one sign that the unknown being that he was looking for. He jumped back when he saw her, lying against a tree, her eyes shut and her head resting on the trunk of the tree. She looked to be in rough shape, and he glanced around for any sort of sign on how she had arrived. He knelt down, and she barely parted her eyes. She looked to be near the edge of death, as her frame was small and she looked to be wasting away to nothing. "I'm going to help you," Luke said, unsure of what to say to her. She held his gaze just for a few seconds before her eyes closed again. Knowing that she didn't have a lot of time, Luke quickly picked her up, surprised about how light she was in his arms. Her lips parted slightly as he shifted her around in his arms, and then he began to sprint back toward Yoda's home.

Anna's eyes opened slightly, but she was unable to register anything. She knew that she was in an illuminated area, and the ceiling was very low to her face. She blinked, trying to clear her eyes away. She didn't remember much, just resting her head against a tree, and then feeling herself wake to the demands of her stomach. She had been so weak that there was no way that she could've even stood. She had say there, waiting for sleep to come upon her again, and let death take her with it. Then she remembered a boy kneeling in front of her, and then there was an empty space in her mind.

She tried to sit up, but a hand stopped her, lightly pushing down on her collarbone. She panicked instantly, thinking that she had been kidnapped. She tried to sit up once again, faster this time, but a rough voice spoke. "Rest, you must," the voice said, and she glanced around, seeing the small Jedi master standing a few feet away from her. "Where am I?" she asked, glancing around. "Master Yoda's home," another voice said. She recognized the voice instantly, and turned to see her saviour sitting to her side, his hand resting on her collarbone. She felt her muscles relax, and she let herself fall back down to the ground. She was too weak to hold herself up. "You were almost dead," he continued. "I could feel your presence and I wanted to help you. You were in pain. That's why I found you."

"What are you even doing here in the first place?" she asked, a little too harshly for her liking, but her voice was still weak, so the edge in her voice didn't carry.

"I'm training to become a Jedi," he answered honestly, his eyes drifting to her own. The minute that their gazes met each other, they seemed to lock in place. Anna couldn't pull her gaze away from the irises that reminded her of ice. Luke seemed to be also studying her gaze, but she couldn't tell. All that she knew was that he didn't want to separate their eyes.

"What's your name?" he asked, finally breaking the gentle gaze.

"Anna," she answered.

"Luke," he responded, and she nodded, unsure of what to say.

"How did you get here?" she asked.

"I was on my way here, but I crashed into the swamp and now I'm stuck here," he said. "I'm training to become a Jedi."

"I crashed as well," she said, and glanced down at her arms to find them wrapped in bandages. "My ship malfunctioned and I was forced to land here. I have no idea how long I've been stuck here."

"You were in rough shape," he said. "But, you're all right now. You just need to stay here for a little while longer until you're strong enough to leave."

Anna took a deep breath, her throat instantly screaming at her because of the lack of water that had run down it. "As soon as I'm strong enough, I'm leaving," she said. "I have to get back to my home planet." She looked up at Luke. "Thank you for saving me, but I can't stay here."

Luke nodded, understanding and even sadness creeping into his eyes. "You need some help getting off the planet," he said. "I have a ship, but it would be a tight fit with both of us."

Anna sighed and looked up remembering with sudden clarity that her ship had been decimated. "I'm sure that my ship can be salvaged," she said. "Assuming that it's not too deep in the water."

"For now, just stay here," he said, keeping his hand on her collarbone, but keeping his touch so light that she just about melted into his touch, but she kept her mind clear. She was never one to get caught up in romance, and she didn't want to now. After all, she hardly knew this boy, and as far as she knew, he could be holding her hostage on the planet. She had no energy to fight back, and she was sure that even if she did, she wouldn't be able to hold him off. She shut her eyes and let out a breath, completely aware of Luke's hand that still rested on her collarbone. She resisted the urge to cover his hand with her own, and instead just let it pass.

When he finally did remove his hand, it left a cold spot at the top of Anna's chest. She knew that he hadn't left her side, and felt strangely comforted because of it. Even though she felt wary of him, her mind told her not to. He seemed to be emitting a powerful vibe of positive energy, and she liked that. The civil unrest that was going on in the galaxy was terrifying to her, and she felt like he seemed to be a person that would be able to fight it.


	4. Recovery

**I'll be doing my best to update this story every week, making the chapters a little bit longer than they have been. Hope you enjoy this part! Had a lot of fun writing it!**

The night passed slowly, and Anna was constantly awoken in fright. She always felt a small amount of panic whenever her eyes opened and she wasn't looking up at a familiar sight, but she always recalled what had happened. Luke was lying close to her, but not too close. He was at the right distance incase she took a turn for the worst.

No matter how badly she wanted to leave, Anna knew that she wouldn't be able to. She was still very weak, and wouldn't be able to get out of the house before she would fall over. Just sitting up was difficult for her, and even though she had been eating and drinking, she was still feeling weak.

Anna glanced over at Luke, who was unmoving in his sleeping form. She sighed and let herself fall back onto her back, trying to get herself to fall back asleep.

Finally, she was given a few hours of deep sleep, which would prove to help her in the healing process. The dim light was coming through the tiny windows of Yoda's house, and she sat up slowly, minding the low ceiling. Luke was already awake, and he wasn't paying much attention to her until she raised her hand to her forehead. "How are you feeling?" he asked, trying to avoid her eyes as much as possible. She forced a smile to surface to her face.

"All right," she answered. "Some water would be nice, though."

Luke nodded and quickly crossed the small floor. Anna let her head hang a little bit, still holding it with her hand, but not depending on it. There wasn't very much of a headache, though it was enough to make her uncomfortable. She nodded her thanks as Luke handed her some water. She sipped it carefully, looking around for the Jedi master that lived in the small house. She had yet to introduce herself to him, but she didn't fear him. His presence was oddly comforting, as if she had known him forever, and he was an old friend of hers. Luke also exuded this feelings, though his had a "raw" feel to it, as if he had not yet conquered it.

"Do you still feel weak?" Luke asked, looking her over quickly, not trying to attract her gaze to his own.

"I feel all right, but I haven't tried to walk in a while," Anna responded. "Would you mind helping me out of here so I can stand?"

Luke nodded, and carefully crawled closer to her, reaching for her hand. At first, she gave it a look of distrust, confusion, and even a hint of fear, but she cautiously place her hand in his, and he made sure that she was able to crawl out of the small house easily.

Anna had almost forgotten that she was on Dagobah, and the sudden sight of swaps surrounding here was almost unsettling for her. Her knees just about buckled, but Luke ran over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders to keep her from falling. She looked over at him, slightly unsettled by his sudden closeness, but in reality, her mind wanted him to stay there, and keep holding her. It had been a while since anyone had even looked at her with a look of lust, and now to have someone holding her for the firs time in a long time was nothing short of exhilarating.

"Sorry," he said, and quickly released her. She nodded, trying not to show her disappointment, and thankfully, Luke didn't catch it. She looked ahead of her, where the Jedi master sat perched on a fallen log, watching as the two of them made their way over to him.

"Looking healthier, you are," he commented as Anna walked over to him, and she smiled.

"Thank's to your generous hospitality," she answered, sitting down on the log next to him. "I don't know if I would've survived if Luke hadn't found me, and you hadn't been the one the take me it."

Yoda nodded and chuckled. "Welcome, you are," he said. "You made a good and fast recovery, but give me all the credit, do not. Shown much strength, you have."

Anna smiled at his warm words. Never had she been called strong. It was not something that she often affiliated herself with. She looked back at the Jedi master, who had turned his attention to Luke.

_He must be continuing his training, _Anna thought to herself as the Jedi master began his lessons. She didn't watch most of the lesson, as she already had so many thoughts running through her head. She wanted to leave this planet, no doubt, but she didn't know if she would be able to just forget about this experience. After all, she had suffered an event that was traumatic, and she would have to go through a phase of lost confidence. Still, she was thankful that she hadn't been too badly injured, and that Luke had found her. She could only remember small scenes of vision, but she could remember the feeling as life had begun to seep out of her body. She could still feel the warmth as Luke's spirit had come closer, and the relief when he had picked her up. It was her strongest remembrance of the crash. The feeling that she had no name for was also the thing responsible for her unspoken fear of the planet, she was certain. She looked over and Yoda and Luke, and saw that they were taking a quick break. Deciding that there was no better time, she decided to pose the question.

"What is this warmth that I'm feeling?" she asked. "And the cold feeling that comes with this planet?" Luke looked over at her with a glance of surprise.

"You feel that?" he asked, and she nodded.

"It's the Force," he answered.

Anna sighed. She and heard rumours of the Force, and had been rather uncaring about it, not accepting its existence, yet not denying it. "You're saying that I'm, what's the phrase…Force-sensitive?"

Yoda turned so that he was facing her. "Yes, Force-sensitive you are," he answered. "It is what gave you strength when you were recovering. The cold feeling that you feel, the Dark side it is." He shook his head and looked slightly saddened as he mentioned the Dark side. "Teach you the ways of the Force, I can, but not now. Too weak from your experience, you are." Anna nodded.

"I see," she said, still not fully ready to accept the fact that the Force really existed. "And Luke, what you were doing with those stones, you're working with the Force?"

He nodded. "It takes a great deal of concentration," he answered. "More so than you think."

"It looks exhausting," she said, and he nodded, smiling.

"It is," he answered, and walked back to the pile of stones. Anna wanted to learn the ways of the Force, but she also wanted to leave Dagobah. She hated the cold feeling that it was constantly emitting. It wasn't strong, but it was there, and she could feel it. She sighed and looked over at Luke, who was back to practicing the ways of the Force. Even though she hadn't been awake for long, she could already feel the exasperating effects of the energy loss she had experienced. Standing, she looked over at both of them. "I'm going to go rest," she said. "I'll holler if I need anything." Yoda nodded, while Luke didn't break his concentration, and Anna stole a quick glance at him. He was holding himself up on his arms, a small stone levitating about a foot off the ground. She grinned to herself and walked slowly back to the Jedi master's house.


	5. Frantic

In the week that followed Anna's speedy recovery, Luke continued to get stronger with his Force abilities, while she also practiced a little bit. Yoda was constantly dividing his attention between both of them, but unlike Luke, Anna was not so close-minded when it came to using the Force. Exhausted, maybe, but never disheartened.

Yoda was very pleased with how fast she was able to pick up the skills when it came to learning. Even though she felt a little bit uncomfortable doing the physical aspects of the training, she seemed to get over it after she realized that her injuries would not hold her back. There were marks that would scar her for life; there was one on her left shoulder that would never fade, but she accepted that.

Luke often commented to her about her bravery. He still slept close to her incase she suddenly fell back into a state of complete shock or some other physical thing. She had shown her strength, and had impressed both Yoda in Luke in different, yet very similar ways.

"Concentrate," Yoda said as Anna began to levitate the stones once more. Luke was watching, taking a break from his training. He never seemed to mind watching Anna as she too worked through the stages of becoming a Jedi. She didn't realize it, but she was powerful, and both Yoda and Luke could see it. Her concentration didn't once falter as she held herself up on her arms. She blew out a breath, letting the stone fall lightly to the ground. As soon as she was sure that it was firmly placed, she let her legs fall back down to the ground, and flipped herself up so that she was standing straight. She brushed her curly brown hair away from her face and sighed. It was obvious that the training was taking a lot out of her, and she could last very long while she was standing on her arms since they had taken a beating in the landing.

"Good," Yoda praised, and she smiled, taking a few deep breaths. It was in that instant when Luke shot up from the log, his eyes filled with panic and terror. "My friends!" he cried out, and ran over to his X-wing that had been pulled out of the swamp by Yoda after Luke had doubted himself. Anna looked over at him in disbelief, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Luke," she said firmly, walking over to him. "What is it?"

"My friends are in pain," he said quickly, and searched his face for any sort of giveaway as to what he was thinking. "I have to go and save them."

Yoda was quick to speak up. "Go now, and your training will mean nothing," he said, but Luke could only shake his head as he quickly suited up for flight.

"I can't just leave them there," Luke said. "They're my friends!"

Anna sighed and slowly walked away from him, wrapping her arms around her torso. Her gaze was low as she walked back to Yoda, where he sat on the fallen log. "Go with him, you must," Yoda said. "No other way off this planet, there is." She nodded and looked back at Luke, who seemed to be preparing for takeoff. "You're going to need to make room in there," she said, walking over to the X-wing. He put his helmet on and she ascended the ladder. He pointed to a small compartment behind his seat that she would barely be able to fit in, but she had no other choice. Yoda watched with sad eyes as they prepared to take off. Anna only returned the gaze once before the ship came to life.

**This was just filler for the next chapter that I'm writing. Sorry it's so short, but I promise that the next one will be long. Thanks for being patient :)**


	6. The First True Test

Chapter Six: The First True Test

Both Anna and Luke arrived on Cloud City with no idea on what was about to happen. Anna was confused for many different reasons, but she knew that she would have to go along with it. Her blaster was secured at her hip, and as they both prowled around the corridors.

On the flight, Luke had filled her in on everything. He had told her about his friends, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, as well as the rebellion. Anna had never been one to immerse herself in the rebellion, but she knew that she was now a part of it. There would be no way that she would be able to avoid it, as it had become inevitable. He had told her about his time on Tatooine, and how he had been the one to blow up the Death Star. When he had told her this, she had been completely amazed, knowing that she was in the presence of the one that had fired that fatal shot. She had remembered when the space station had been destroyed, and had even celebrated it. She didn't agree with anything that the Empire did, but she couldn't join the rebellion. She didn't want to be caught up in the action and the inevitable risks that came with it. Now, she didn't have much of a choice.

Anna felt the cold presence of Vader the minute that she had arrived. The emittance was a lot stronger than when she had felt on Dagobah. His essence had a ton of power, and it made her even more fearful of him than she already was. She could tell instantly that he was powerful, and she didn't want to tangle with him at all, yet she knew that Luke would want her to stay with him as a backup option. She was not skilled at fighting, and had no lightsaber, so she knew that she would be rendered useless.

They were walking slowly through the corridor when suddenly, blaster shots sounded out, along with the scream of a girl. Both of them turned to see stormtroopers carting away a wookie and a young girl, about Anna's age. Instinct kicked in, and Anna raced after them. "Go without me, I'll cover you!" she cried to Luke, as the other girl yelled out to him that it was a trap. Anna's mind kicked into overdrive as the blaster shots intensified, and she returned some of her own before she found herself suddenly cut off from Luke. Stormtroopers had surrounded her, and she hardly even felt anything as the adrenaline rush slowed down, creating a numb feeling. The stormtroopers pulled her blaster effortlessly out of her hands and cuffed them behind her back before leading her to the main group that was escorting the wookie and the girl. Anna realized suddenly that these were Luke's friends; Leia and Chewbacca. She couldn't show any sort of emotion on her face as she was almost in shock as to what had just happened. All that she could bring herself to care about was that Luke was safe from the stormtroopers.

She felt herself pushed by a blaster, right in the small of her back. She could see that Leia's eyes were full of questions for her, but Anna couldn't answer them. Not to mention that she wasn't going to talk with the stormtroopers surrounding her. There was one other in the group that didn't look like an Imperial, yet he didn't look like he was captured. The look in his eyes held sorrow for her, and Anna tired to return a respectful glance. She didn't know who the dark-skinned man was, but he didn't seem to be too bad. He didn't look like someone that she should be afraid of, even though the looks that Leia was giving him were enough to kill.

They resumed to walk along the corridors silently, the only sound was the echoing of stormtroopers' footsteps as they walked in perfect formation. The partial shock that Anna was in was starting to fade away, but she couldn't help but think that Luke was alone, and that she had no way of getting to him. Thoughts raced through her head as she thought of the inexperienced Jedi taking on the powerful Sith Lord. She could still feel the warm power that Luke emitted, and she knew that he was still alive. She would have felt it if he was dead. She wasn't thinking about where they were even going, and she didn't care at that point. She knew that she couldn't start feeling something stronger than friendship for Luke yet, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to suppress it for much longer. She couldn't thank him enough for saving her on Dagobah, but she knew that there couldn't be anything that happened between them. She couldn't let herself get caught up in those emotions, because she knew that she would just get hurt if she did. She was scarred physically from her experience, but mental scars would never fade; they would always be there.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that they were surrounded yet again, but the people surrounding her this time were not Imperials. They were pointing their blasters at the Imperials, and Anna tried to suppress a smile as she realized that it was the dark-skinned man that had called for these new people to come and release them. The Imperials were taken away, and Anna felt the cuffs that held her wrists fall away. She nodded her thanks as she rubbed her wrists. The wookie, however, was not in the same mood. He roared and in an instant, was gripped the man by the throat. Leia began to cry out, and the droid that Chewbaccea carried on his back was also trying to reason.

It was when the man managed to choke out something about "Han", but Anna wasn't paying attention to what the wookie and Leia were doing. She was only worried about the Imperials finding them again. She looked over when Chewbacca had dropped the man on the ground. He had one hand on his throat, and Anna quickly moved over to him.

"You're new," he said, his voice raspy. "I'm Lando. Lando Calrissian."

"Annacaza Anara," she responded, helping him up. "I need to go find Luke. He's in great danger. He was going to fight Vader."

When she saw Lando's face fall, she felt her own do the same. "Vadar wanted to freeze Luke in carbonite," Lando began, and ushered her over to the direction that Leia and Chewbacca had run in. "The Emperor wants Luke as 'his prize', whatever that means, and Vadar set this whole thing up to trap Luke here."

"I can't just leave him for Vader then," Anna said as they caught up to Leia and the wookie. The droid on his back was still talking, though everyone was ignoring him. However, she felt better when the Astromech droid that she had grown to like wheeled his way over to them.

"You're not going to be safe," Lando said. "The Imperials are everywhere, and they'll be looking for you, if they're not already."

"I don't care," Anna said. "I need to give Luke a fighting chance." She broke away from Lando and the rest of the group, who had been listening to her. "Yoda was training my ability with the Force. I know what I'm doing, and I'll do my absolute best to get Luke back safely."

There was only a slight nod from Lando, who continued running. "Good luck," he said, and then she was gone.

Never before had Anna been to Cloud City, and she had no idea where she was going. She could feel the clash of the warmth and the cold as Vader and Luke fought. She knew that Luke was starting to weaken, as she could feel the warmth slowly starting to seep away. Still, she knew that she would be able to find Luke by the cold feeling that Vader was emitting.

They clashed again, and she placed her hand over her heart. She hated the feeling of the two sides of the Force connecting with each other. Even though it wasn't powerful, it was nagging, and she could tell whenever Luke was hurt. Anna continued to force her legs to move faster, covering more ground.

She was taken aback when she found herself looking into the inside core of the city from a large walkway. She glanced around, and saw flashes of blue and red, and the bright spark they sent out as the blades crashes and hissed. She didn't stick around to watch the fight. They were suspended over a high point, and she knew that she would have to get to that catwalk to have any sort of chance. The only problem was that she didn't know how long Luke could hold out. He was still a raw Jedi, not even finished his training, and Vader was a Sith Lord, and was hardly even a man anymore. He was more of a machine, and he wouldn't tire as easily. Not to mention that Luke was still a boy, not much older than herself, and Vader's age was defied by the mechanical parts that made up most of his body.

Quickly, she began to move along the catwalk, keeping her hand steady on the thin metal railing. The wind that blew through was slightly unnerving to Anna, feeling her curled hair leaving her shoulders. She kept low to the ground, one hand on her blaster. She knew that she would be a lot more effective if she had her own lightsaber, but she had only been taught knowledge of the Force, and now she was regretting it. Still, she had only spent one week on Dagobah before Luke had received his Force vision.

Finally she was level with the same catwalk that both Luke and Vader were fighting on. She drew her blaster, feeling the adrenaline rushing through her veins, pushing her forward and keeping her from turning and running away, but there was something else keeping her moving toward the Sith Lord and the boy she had known for a mere week. She wasn't yet ready to accept the inevitable feelings that she had toward the young Jedi, but they were there, and there was no questioning that. She knew that it didn't matter if Luke was killed or not, she would still feel the obvious pain, no matter if she acknowledged her feelings or not.

She was nearly at the pair when Luke cried out for her. Vader turned, and the minute Anna laid eyes on the feared mask of emptiness, she felt as though he could see right through her. His hand when out forcefully and she slam med into the ground, her blaster firing upward and into the sky. The hissing of the lightsabers continued as their blades met once more. Luke was yelling at Vader, but Anna couldn't make out the words. Blood with rising in her ears as her invisible restrains held her down tightly. She couldn't move her blaster to fire it at Vader, but she could feel them weakening slowly as he continued to fight with Luke. Another snap and crackle sounded out from a lightsaber hitting metal and sparks flying. She began to fight against the restraints more, knowing that if Luke was able to wear him down just a little bit more, she'd be able to free herself.

The second that she freed herself was the second that she doubled over in pain as Luke screamed. Anna clutched at her chest, kneeling down on one knee while the other foot kept her form falling over. Still she wobbled, and nearly fell to her side, which could've been her death. She reached for her blaster, but the pain was too much. It was the worst heartache she had ever felt in her life, and she knew exactly what it was before she had even looked up. The sudden silence of the catwalk told her everything. She only saw a glimpse of Luke tucking his right arm against his body, his hand underneath his left arm, or at least, what would've been his hand. She couldn't hear the exchange that was happening between Vader and the young Jedi, but she could hear the sudden dark change in Vader's already-dark voice.

"I am your father."

It was the only thing that she heard, and she felt the pain in her heart turn, along with Luke's denial. She fell on her side, completely sprawled out on her back as she looked over at Luke, her eyes devoid of any emotion. She didn't know what to say to him through her facial expressions, as sorrow didn't seem to be enough. She only saw him in her field of vision before he dropped off completely. She had thought that he had fallen, and quickly stood up, the pain and feeling her heart suddenly lifted, her hands clutching onto the cold metal railings, her face hovering over the empty space. She watched as his body fell through the air, ungracefully, yet to her, beautifully, in its own way. For a second she forgot that the Sith Lord was standing only twenty feet from her.

"Don't run," he said. "It would be more effort than your life is worth." She looked over at him, forcing herself to turn to face him, even with the adrenaline in her veins telling her to run as fast as she could. Her blaster was still lying away from her, but she could be able to Force-pull it toward her quickly. "You have no use for me," she said, trying to keep her voice clear and strong, but she knew that it was probably shaking. After all, he was a Sith Lord.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, taking a step toward her, and she recounted with her own step back. "I'm not Jedi," she said. "Not like Luke."

"But you're Force-sensitive, I can feel it," he said, making Anna shiver with his deep voice.

She wanted nothing more than to flee Vader, but she knew that he would be able to stop her if he had the need. Taking a chance, she quickly called her blaster into her hand and shot at him, hoping to distract him, if only for a few seconds. She didn't even watch as he quickly moved from the impact of the blast, and she raced along the catwalk, her boots making heavy contact with the metal panels. Adrenaline kept her going, and she knew that she couldn't stop or look back. She quickly ducked into the building that she had come from, and raced along in the hallways. The sound of Vader's breathing device was getting further and further away, but she didn't want to turn and see where exactly he was.

Finally, there was no sign of anyone as she ran along the walls of the corridor that she had come down. She was looking for the docking bay where Luke's X-wing had been docked, when she suddenly remembered. _Luke. _He was dead, there was no doubt about it. No one could've survived that kind of a fall. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. There were people running everywhere, and she was sure that there had been a statement telling people to evacuate the City. She just about missed the group of Leia, Artoo, Lando, and Chewbacca as they ran past her. She quickly was able to get Lando's attention, and the look in his eyes expressed his unspoken sorrow for her. She had failed in swaying Vader to leave Luke alone, and now, he was dead.

They stopped at a large door, and quickly, Artoo began to work to open the door. Meanwhile, stormtroopers began to fire at them, and Anna quickly returned the blasts. Finally, the door opened, and everyone ran through, but not before Artoo had sprayed the doorway with a thick fog. She smiled as the little droid wheeled his way to the huge ship that Anna knew was the _Millennium Falcon_. All of them raced onto it, and finally, Anna felt that she was safe for the first time since they had left Dagobah. She followed Lando and Chewie (that's what everyone was calling him) into the cockpit and sat down in one of the chairs. Leia was also behind her, and just by the look in her eyes, Anna knew that the former Princess of Alderaan wanted answers. "I can explain everything once we get out of here," Anna said, and Leia nodded, accepting the answer, for now.


	7. Flight

_Just a quick note: I haven__'__t watched the film in a while (around two years) so I__'__m writing most of this based on memory. Sorry if things are a little bit off; I read the Wookiepedia article on the movie, so I refreshed my memory as much as possible. I__'__d also like to thank the increase in reviews in the past few weeks. You guys are great! 3_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Flight<strong>

Once the ship had started and was up in the air, Anna knew that she needed to explain herself. She knew that she looked suspicious, and it was not a feeling that she wanted to have with her for a long time. Lando and Chewie were too preoccupied trying to escape the city, but Leia was sitting, looking indirectly at Anna, waiting for answers, yet not in a way that would look too pushy.

"I'm not an Imperial," Anna said, and saw the former Princess relax. "I crashed on Dagobah when my ship malfunctioned, and Luke saved me. I would have died if he hadn't found me." At the first part of the sentence, Anna winced, knowing that it was now Luke who was gone from her. The feeling that he gave off had been obscured by the adrenaline running through her veins, which was now starting to wear off. She sighed and glanced down at her pale hands.

"During the time that I was on Dagobah, I learned that I was Force-sensitive," she continued. "I was trained, along with Luke, for a short amount of time, before a vision appeared in his head, and he was frantic to get here. My ship was completely smashed and drowned in the swamps, and I came with him."

"Where is he now?" Leia asked, keeping her voice calm. Anna sighed and shook her head, her eyes falling to the floor. "He jumped off a catwalk when Vader was about to kill him," Anna answered, refusing to lift her gaze up. "I only saw him fall, and I have no idea where he is, or if he's even alive."

Leia lowered her head and nodded, not making a sound. Anna lifted her gaze slightly to see the emotion in Leia's eyes, and that the Princess cared a great deal about Luke as well. After all, Luke had been the one to rescue her from execution on the Death Star, as Anna had heard, and had been the one to destroy the dreaded space station.

Suddenly, Leia's eyes went wide. "Luke…" she murmured, her small voice hardly even audible. Anna looked at her, confused, but in an instant, it was apparent to her. Leia had the same arm feeling that Luke had, but hers was no nearly as powerful as Luke's was, and not as apparent at first. Now that it was recognized, it felt as though its power was bombarding her heart.

"Turn the ship around!" Leia commanded, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"Are you serious?" Lando asked. "What about those fighters?"

"I know where Luke is!" she said in the same tone. "Turn us around."

"Lando, turn us around," Anna said, exhaustion heavy in her voice, but her mind had quickly perked up as soon as she knew that Leia had felt Luke through the Force. Anna herself had not felt him directly, but now she could feel it. It was a very weak power, and she knew that Luke was in an unstable condition.

The ship turned, and Anna forced herself to relax. Still, there was a chance that Luke was still alive, even though the fall he and taken looked to be a fatal one from first glance. She had been too busy trying not to fall at the hands of the Sith Lord that had revealed to Luke the shocking revelation that had made her own knees weak. The pained look on Luke's face had impacted her in a way that she couldn't describe. She knew that his heart was hurting, and she could feel it. As they neared the city in the clouds once again, the feeling became greater. _Luke is alive,_ she thought to herself, and allowed a smile to break out on her face for the first time in what felt like forever.

The feeling of happiness didn't last long. The ship was now located underneath Cloud City, and hanging from an antenna, was a broken figure, barely holding on for his life. The pain in Anna's heart soared, and she knew that it was Luke before Leia made it known around the cockpit of the ship. Lando stood up and left the small room, and Chewie held the ship stable as is floated underneath the place where Luke was holding on for his life. Even though they were now close in proximity to one another, the feeling of the Force that he was giving off was still very weak. She knew that along with the obvious pain that he was in, he was also exhausted, both mentally and physically. She had never seen him so beat-up, and it was something that she never wanted to see.

It was even worse in person. Lando helped the wounded Jedi stagger into the cockpit, where Leia jumped up and hugged him. Anna felt rooted to her seat, unable to move very much, as her mind had completely locked her down. She didn't know what to do to comfort Luke, and she didn't know if she could. What he was going through was something that she could never even imagine. Lando sat down in the pilot's seat next to Chewie as they quickly sped away, trying in vain to get away from the TIE fighters that were pursuing them. Anna could care less about the threat that was continuously pressuring them, and followed the path where Leia and Luke had gone.

She stood in the doorway of the room, and Leia looked up. "Is everything okay?" she asked, and Anna shook her head.

"There are approaching TIE fighters," she said. "We're going to make the jump to light-speed in a few moments."

Leia nodded and stood up. "I'll let you have a moment," she said, and gave Luke a quick kiss on the cheek before she stood up and left the room, brushing past Anna, but not in a rude way. Anna's dark eyes travelled over to the broken form that lay on the medical cot. Luke barely even looked alive. He was only 22 years old, but he looked to be at least ten years older. The battle with the Sith Lord had made him lose his innocence.

She walked over to the side of his bed and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry," she said, avoiding making eye contact. "I tried to get there faster."

"It wouldn't have made any difference," he said. "Vader was after me, not you. I don't want you to become a target."

"I don't care," she said. "I've taken care of myself for years."

"This is the Sith Lord we're talking about," Luke said. "You've seen his power yourself. I'm not letting you fall under the same category that has me wanted by the Empire."

"Luke, I'm strong," she said. "You heard what Master Yoda said about me. My power is not as strong as yours, but I know what I'm doing. My Force knowledge is extensive."

"The Empire will still be after you," he said. "I'm not putting you in danger because of me."

"I was able to get away from Vader without any sort of physical injury," she said, standing up. "If that isn't strong to you, I don't know what is."

She turned to leave, but Luke stopped her. "You are strong," he said. "When I'm recovering, go back to Yoda. You need to finish your training. I'm further ahead in it than you are. I know that you can bear to leave me, just for a while."

Anna could only bring herself to nod, barely even registering the words in her mind. "I'll be out in the cockpit," she said. "I just need a moment to think." Luke gave her a small smile, knowing that he had won her over, and she left the room.

Sitting back down in her chair again, she shut her eyes and let her head fall back until it came in soft contact with the headrest of the chair. She tuned out Lando and Chewie, who were talking rather loudly to each other about their pursuers. She let Luke's words float around in her head, thinking about leaving him once again. She knew that she would have to come back, as she was in this war now, and there was no way to escape it. Her skills were still raw, and not yet finely tuned to a point where she would be able to use them with confidence. She had yet to even hold a lightsaber in her hands and fell the vibrating power that came with them. Still, the thought of returning to Yoda after he had advised them not to go was conflicting her. She didn't know how he would react when she arrived without Luke, the one that was supposed to bring peace to the galaxy, and the one that Yoda had bonded deeply with. She sighed and let her muscles relax in the chair. She was exhausted from all of the work that had gone into the day. There was nothing enjoyable about the feelings that were running through her, and she knew not to consider them for more than a few seconds. The one line that still rang clear in her mind was one of her first lessons that Yoda had done with her. _"__Beware of the dark feelings,__" __he had said. __"__Anger, fear, and aggression. Do not dwell on them, or start down the dark path, you will.__" _She opened her eyes once again, but heard nothing. Lando was frantic about something, but she couldn't see what it was. He was flipping switches, pushing buttons, trying everything, but Anna didn't care about his problems at that moment. She was watching everything closely, but she was not hearing anything. She had fallen into a state of relaxation and reflection. She shut her eyes and smiled to herself as the ship suddenly lurched forward, the familiar feeling of making the jump to light-speed.


	8. Regroup

**Chapter Eight: Regroup**

When the _Falcon_ docked at the medical frigate, Luke had been quickly ushered from the ship and away from the sight of the rest of his friends. Anna had been in a meditative state for a long time, and once it was broken, it felt like being rudely awakened after being in a deep sleep. She stood up and stretched her arms out, then walked out of the ship with Leia at her side, as well as Artoo and a newly-repaired C-3P0.

Luke would have his hand reconstructed, and even though Anna wanted to stay with him during his recovery, she knew that Luke was right. She needed to go and finish her training. If she didn't she wouldn't have any chance if she was caught in a battle between the Imperials and the Rebels. The small group walked through the white corridors of the medical frigate before they arrived in the room where Luke was sitting, attended to by the medical droids. Leia pulled herself away from the group for a second so that she could look out the large window with a picturesque setting, looking upon the galaxy. Anna walked over to her, keeping about five feet of distance between both of them. "What are we going to have to do?" she asked the former Princess, keeping her voice calm and low.

"We need to rescue Han," Leia said, looking over her shoulder, inviting Anna to walk a little bit closer. "He's the owner of the _Falcon_, and is one of the best pilots that the Alliance currently has. Lando and Chewie are going out to look for him." She sighed and dropped her eyes as Anna came to stand by her side. "I wish I could do something more than just wait around here," she continued. "But you don't want to hear of my problems." Anna let herself smile weakly.

"There really isn't any positive feeling right now," she admitted, and glanced over her shoulder to where Luke sat. "You seem a little bit on edge with Han's capture."

"I—" Leia started, but paused. "You weren't there when they froze him in carbonite, but I told him that I loved him, which is true. That's why I look a little bit weak right now, but I'm not always like this. The life of a Rebel is never a positive one."

"Before I met Luke, my life wasn't all that great either," Anna said. "I was constantly running from the Empire."

"What did you do?" Leia asked. "Before this, I mean."

"I usually just flew around, exploring the galaxy," Anna answered. "Occasionally, I was a smuggler, but only so that I could get money."

"Was that why the Empire was after you?" Leia asked.

"No, it was something else, something that I just realized in the past few days," Anna said. "I always thought it was because of that, but they didn't ever seem to target other smugglers. Now that I have been partially trained in the Force, I know what they wanted from me."

"They think that you could be a powerful ally," Leia said, finishing Anna's thought for her. The young girl nodded.

"I always thought it would be something different," she said. "I never wanted to get involved with the war, but now, I feel like I was meant to be a part of it. I'm not going to leave."

Leia nodded. "Well, I thank you, for everything that you've done so far."

"I haven't done much."

"You kept Vader from reaching us back on Cloud City. That little diversion created enough time for us to try and rescue Han from the bounty hunter. We weren't able to, but we still had a better chance."

Anna smiled. "I just did what I felt I should do."

There was silence between them for a few seconds, but when the two droids came walking over to them, all silence was disrupted. Leia sighed and looked over at Threepio and Artoo, who seemed to be caught up in an argument. Anna smiled as Artoo stopped next to her. She hadn't yet been introduced properly to Threepio, but he was already addressing her respectfully.

"Miss Annacaza," he said, and she turned her head to look at him.

"You can just call me Anna," she said with a smile.

"Master Luke is almost ready," the droid said. Anna nodded and glanced down at the floor.

"Thanks Threepio," she said with a smile, looking up at the droid momentarily before shifting her gaze back down to the floor. Artoo beeped at her side, and she lightly placed her hand on the top of his dome. The little droid and her had bonded over their time together on Dagobah, and even though he couldn't talk, there was a way about his communication that was so much more powerful.

Leia moved away from the window and walked behind Anna to where Luke was stationed. Anna stayed where she was, looking out the window, but not looking at anything in particular. She didn't know who Han Solo was, and she wasn't too sure if she should care, but Leia held a great deal of emotion for him, and Anna wanted to support her.

Once again, the thought of returning to train with Yoda entered her mind. She wanted to go back to him, but she didn't want to be stranded incase there was an attack on the Rebels. She had nearly lost Luke once, and she didn't want to lose him again. There was no denying her feelings for him now. She had tried to suppress them, but now she couldn't fight it anymore. She could live her life a lot easier knowing that they were there, never nagging at her, but just constantly tugging at her heart. She didn't know if Luke felt the same way, but she knew that there was a special bond between them, something that she didn't even know to exist.

She heard Luke's voice behind her and she instinctively raised her head. She let her hand trail off of Artoo's dome as she turned to where he was sitting, his right arm lying close to a medical droid, and his left hand clutching something that she couldn't make out directly. She could hear raspy voices coming from it, and she knew that the voices on the other end were those that had stayed in the _Millennium Falcon_. Luke already looked so much better from when she had last seen him. His presence in the Force was stronger than it had been before the battle with the Sith Lord. He smiled at her as she walked over before quickly averting his gaze back to the device in his left hand.

"…We'll find Han…," Lando's voice came through the device, and Leia smiled. Anna had only heard part of the sentence, but she seemed to have an understanding about what had been said. Leia saw Anna standing on the other side of Luke and moved over to stand beside her. Anna smiled as the former Princess walked over.

"…May the Force be with you," Luke said, and Anna let her gaze fall on him once again. He smiled as Chewie's gentle roars were heard, and looked past the two girls and out the window. Leia too smiled before she turned to go and stand by the window once more.

"How are you feeling?" Anna asked the recovering Jedi.

"All right, I guess," he said. "I probably look a lot better than before."

"You do," she said with a smile. "I'm just glad that you're okay. I thought that you were dead after you jumped."

"Well, I lived," he said. "What happened afterward, with you and Vader?"

"I was able to escape him easily," she answered. "Fired my blaster and then ran. He knows that I'm Force-sensitive."

She closed her eyes at the unwanted memory of his voice. It sent chills through her just to think about it.

"I'll make sure he doesn't come after you," he said, and Anna smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said, and turned around to go stand by Leia once again. As she walked over, she kept her gaze down, still not feeling completely strong as she usually did. The memories of Cloud City would haunt her for a long time, and she doubted that they would ever disappear.

"They're going to go find him," Leia said as Anna approached her.

"They seem to know what they're doing," Anna said, trying to reassure the former Princess. Leia nodded.

"They are, I trust them," she said, and sighed, turning her head as Luke walked over. Anna didn't look at the two of them, not because of jealousy, but because of exhaustion. Her meditative state did not take away the fact that she was still incredibly tired. She would have to make her decision about returning to Yoda after she had rested.

The _Falcon_ flew off from underneath them, heading to an unknown place. She smiled as they flew away. Even though she barely knew who most of these people were, she had confidence that they would rescue Han, and bring him back safely. Until then, she didn't know what she would do. She would decide after a long-needed sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>If you want to, be sure to check out the trailer for this story! Link is on my profile.<strong>


	9. Final Decision

**Chapter Nine: Final Decision**

"I don't know what you want me to say," Anna said, looking over at Leia, who was sitting across the table from her. The medical frigate had offered the Rebels their own rooms to rest in, which Anna was grateful for. She had requested Leia to come into her room so that the two could talk about Anna's decision. She had slept on it for a while, and truly came to the best conclusion.

"There isn't much for you to say," Leia answered. "You're leaving us, that's what's going on."

"I'm not leaving you," Anna answered with a firm and authoritative tone. "Since you weren't there, Luke told me that it would be best if I returned to Master Yoda to train as a Jedi. I'm behind in my training compared to Luke, and he wants me to be trained so that I can be stronger."

Leia sighed and looked down at the floor. "I know Luke is acting with the best intentions," she said before looking up again. "But consider what you've done for the Rebellion already."

"I've done nothing," Anna said. "I've only been there to witness Luke getting his hand severed by a Sith Lord, and buying you a few extra moments to go and rescue Han, during which, you weren't able to rescue him. I've done nothing significant."

"You're already stronger than most of us," Leia said. "The fact that you have knowledge of the Force is already a major step-up from where I, and most of the other fighters, have in terms of skills. I just want to make sure that this won't hurt us."

"I'll come back, Leia," Anna said. "I'm not leaving the Rebellion forever. I don't thank that I have it in me to do that."

"What makes you say that?" Leia asked, her tone dropping.

"It's—" Anna paused, not wanting to admit the real reason that she was staying around in the first place. Not now, when the feelings were still so raw. "Nothing. It's not important."

"No, it is," Leia said. "I can see it. Whatever you're feeling is holding you back. You can tell me, Anna."

"If I said it, you'd think that I'm insane," Anna responded, turning her head away from Leia to look at the ground. The feelings that she was feeling toward the boy that had just had a prosthetic hand constructed on his right arm were completely new to her, and she wasn't confident in sharing them with anyone. Those feelings of uncomfortableness were reflected in her Force spirit, and Leia was able to pick up on them, even though Anna was sure that they were weak.

"It's Luke, isn't it?" Leia asked, already knowing the answer. Anna's eyes flashed over to the young woman sitting across from her, expecting a look of disbelief, or even disgust, but Leia's face showed no sign of any of those emotions. "You know, I'm not that alien to those feelings," she continued. "When I met Han, I knew that I felt something for him, but I wasn't about to admit it. Now, I've accepted them."

"And now, you're hurting because he's been torn away from you," Anna said. "That's why I never got caught up in my feelings. I'll always end up hurting myself if I do. I know it's cliché, but it's true. When I was on the catwalk while Luke and Vader were fighting, I felt it when Luke's hand was severed. I didn't see it, but I knew, and at that point, I knew that my feelings were there. I've admitted to them, but only to myself. I don't think that Luke shares the same feelings for me as I do for him."

"What makes you think that? If he wants you to go back to Dagobah, then it shows that he has some sort of a care for you. Romantic, maybe not, but he wants to see you succeed as a Jedi, Anna, and I cant blame him for it. There are barely any left, and those that are left are still in hiding after that dreaded day that the Emperor said to execute Order 66."

Something flashed behind Leia's eyes, as if she was remembering one of her most painful and darkest memories. Anna forced a smile and lightly reached over the table to place her hand on Leia's arm to give her comfort. The former Princess could only smile in thanks, and Anna pulled her hand away. She didn't want to get into why Leia had those feelings, and why it had been Order 66 that had triggered it. Anna had not yet been born when it had been executed, but she was born very soon afterward.

"I've made my decision," Anna said standing up. "And Luke deserves to know. After all he was the one that suggested it."

Leia looked up and nodded, also standing up. Anna held the door to the room open for her as they both walked out into the white hallway together. Everything about the medical frigate was white, that is, except for Anna. She was wearing all black, and didn't want to change that. The idea of wearing white was not too appealing to her. She never wanted to blend into the fabric of life as most people did under the rule of the Empire.

Leia broke away from Anna, while the young Jedi-in-training kept walking. Luke was stationed in his own room, still recovering from his traumatic experience on Cloud City. He hadn't been too bad, in the sense that he wasn't constantly relapsing, but the emotions were still there, waiting to take over and weaken him. He was still trying to accept the fact that Vader was his father, and that alone seemed to be something that would take a long time to recover from.

The door to Luke's room was propped open a few feet, and she could see that he was sitting up in his bed, dressed in cream-coloured shirt and pants, and he smiled as Anna walked in. She could only return his smile weakly, her mind still thinking about Leia's masked display of emotions.

"You all right, Anna?" he asked as she approached his bed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, and turned to look out the door, checking to see if there was anyone eavesdropping. "Mind if I close the door?"

"No, go right ahead," he responded, and sat up a little bit more on the bed so he could look at her from a better angle while she closed the door with the Force.

"I came to tell you that I made my decision," she began, walking over so that she was standing at his side. He watched her every movement, and she knew that he could sense the slight discomfort that she was giving off through the Force. "I'm going to return to Yoda, and finish my training. I thought about what you said, and as soon as I'm finished, I'll return."

Luke's ice-blue eyes light up at the sound of her words. "I'm glad you came to that choice," he said. "I know that it was difficult and I didn't want to pressure you into it."

"No, you didn't," she said, closing her eyes in an exaggerated blink before she opened them again. "I just don't want to be stuck here for the time that it will take to find Han. Besides, I don't know where he's gone, and I don't think that I could be much help."

"You'd be a lot more help if your training is complete," Luke said. "But I'm happy for you. When are you going to leave?"

"Um, I'm not sure," she responded. "I don't really have a ship to take me there, so I'm stuck here on this medical frigate until I can get one."

"I'm sure that Leia wouldn't mind getting a small ship for you to use," Luke said. "After all, we are still small in numbers, and we've lost a lot of pilots…" His voice trailed off, and she saw that same flash of sadness behind his eyes as she had seen in Leia's.

"Something wrong?" she asked, crouched down so that she was almost at an even level with the bed.

"Just thinking about one of my old friends," he said. "It was during the Death Star attack. His ship was shot down." Luke sighed, and Anna boldly reached out for his left hand, as it was closer to her, and let her small fingers rest in-between the grooves of his own. Luke looked over at her suddenly, and she made a motion to pull away, but his right hand quickly covered her hand. "Don't," he said. "It's alright."

She smiled and tried to get her heart to stop frantically beating. She never expected Luke's touch to have such a mesmerizing effect on her. The feeling under her skin wasn't uncomfortable, but it was gentle, like subtle tingles. Suddenly, she was transported back to the time not too long ago, when Luke had been a stranger to her, keeping her down by lightly pressing down on her collarbone. She had been scared of his touch then, and even slightly angered by it, but now it was the opposite.

"Stay here, for just a little longer," he said. "On this ship, I mean. Don't feel rushed to go and tell Leia that you need a ship just yet." Anna smiled at him as she stood up, lightly pulling her hand out from between his.

"Is that your brilliant plan to keep me wondering what else you might be up to?" she asked.

"Maybe," he said with a smile. "But I'm serious."

"Sure," she said with a sarcastic tone as she walked out of the room.

As she walked through the thin halls if the medical frigate, Anna's mind was functioning on overdrive. She would return to Luke as soon as she found the confidence again to face him. She had no idea why she was feeling embarrassed, or how it was even related to her current feelings, but she was still new to the feelings that came with caring for someone so deeply.

She turned a corner and nearly ran into Artoo, who had been slowly prowling around as he usually did. She threw her hands up in front of her as an apologetic signal. "Sorry Artoo," she said. "I was wrapped up in my thoughts and wasn't watching where I was going." The droid beeped, and she took it as thought he accepted her apology. "Where's Threepio?" she asked, and right on cue, the gold droid was spotted at the other end of the hall, walking in the same fashion as he usually did, with his elbows sticking out and constantly looking around in fear of something suddenly sneaking up on him. The droid didn't seem to have a particularly positive outlook on his existence in the Rebellion, and it was a humorous contrast to Artoo, who acted almost-carefree at times.

"Oh, Miss Anna!" the droid cried out as he neared her. "Is Master Luke all right?"

"Yeah, he's fine," she said. "I was just in his room making sure that he was doing okay." She didn't dare go into the details of what had happened. She didn't expect the droid to understand human emotions. "Anyway, where are you headed off to in such a hurry?"

"Princess Leia wanted us to come by her quarters," he responded.

"Some sort of a mission, I guess," Anna said absent-mindedly. "She must really miss Han."

"Oh yes, they care about each other a great deal," Threepio said, and Anna smiled at the way he said it. It was clear that he didn't have a great understanding of human emotions. Artoo once again broke her thoughts by lightly pushing at her lower legs. She quickly moved aside so that the droid could move by her.

"Where did they take him?" she asked.

"Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine," Threepio said. "She wants to make sure that everything goes smoothly."

"So I figured," she said. "Alright, well, I need to go and rest again, and you should probably go to Leia."

"Bye Miss Anna," Threepio said before he shuttered off behind Artoo.

* * *

><p><strong>This part of the story is a little bit slow, and I apologize for that. I'm working on building up to something big, so all of the character development that's happening right now won't last for much longer.<strong>

**I also edited chapters 1 and 2, since I read over them for the first time in months and realized all of the typo's and run-on sentences that were there. Nothing is more embarrassing than finding errors in something that you think is perfect...**

**I am writing in Camp Nanowrimo so I'll be turning my attention over to that for the month of July. However, I am writing all of the chapters for this story that will be released in July now (the last week of June), so that I can have my attention on my Camp project, and keep you awesome readers happy :)**


	10. In The Wake

**Chapter Ten: In The Wake**

Anna was resting on her back, lying on the bed in her own quarters when Luke walked in. She paid no attention to him, though she knew that he was there. He stood in the doorway which she and left open a few inches so that he would be able to open the door without knocking. Her eyes were on the white ceiling above, not focusing on anything in particular. She was in a meditative state, and it took a lot to break her out of one wince she was lost within herself. Luke didn't make any sort of movement to try and break her out of her meditation, but just watched her still form as it lay in an ungraceful, sprawled position on the bed. The only hint that he had that she was alive was that her Force spirit was still very strong. Other than that, there seemed to be nothing else. Her hands were resting at her head, with her palms facing up toward the ceiling. Her black fingerless gloves were lying on the bedside table beside her, as well as her jacket. Her legs were bent at an angle that looked to be very comfortable, but in reality, it was everything but that. Her shoeless feet were pulled up toward her body slightly, and the way she was facing was making one side of her hipbone stick out. She was beautiful, in her own way.

Finally, the silence broke as she blinked her eyes a few times, as if she was returning back to reality. "How long are you going to stand there?" she asked, and Luke smiled.

"I didn't want to disturb you," he said.

"I felt your presence when you walked in," she said. "But my meditation wasn't broken. It takes a lot for me to get out of that kind of a state."

She still hadn't moved from her awkward-but-comfortable position on the bed, and Luke couldn't help but keep sneaking quick glances at her. At that point, he didn't have much of a care in the sense that she would catch him, because he already knew that she had a deep care for him. It was obvious in her presence in the Force that she held something stronger than friendship for him. He didn't swell on the thought for very long, as she slowly untangled herself and sat up on the bed, reaching for her gloves. "Did you need to talk to me about something?" she asked.

"Well, not really, but I wanted to tell you that the food is ready for us," he said. "Leia wanted me to tell you. She doesn't want you to starve."

"Why would she think that?" Anna asked, pulling her gloves on, a look of disbelief on her face as she looked through her eyelashes at Luke.

"Something about being healthy for when you go back to complete your training," he said. "Honestly, I really wasn't paying much attention. She likes to ramble sometimes."

"You're telling me," Anna said, jumping off the bed and brushing off her shirt before she grabbed her leather jacket. "I thought that I was bad."

"But you've got to see where she's coming from," Luke said as she walked over to him "She's on edge right now because of Han."

"True," she said. "I don't understand it very much, since I've never met Han, but that's probably why I wouldn't be much help on this mission."

"You'll be helpful once your abilities are sharpened," Luke said. "Ready to go eat?"

Anna shook her hair out. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Luke stood aside for her to walk by him, and she did, keeping her eyes forward as she slipped through the doorway. Luke shut the door for her, and she started to walk down the hall, not really having any idea where she was going. "Where is Leia hosting the food?" she asked, turning to look back at Luke, but was taken aback when she smacked right into his chest. Quickly, she backed off, embarrassment flooding into her cheeks. "Sorry, didn't know you'd be right there," she said, averting her eyes from his gaze.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "It's at the end of this hall." Anna turned and continued to walk, still trying to let the heat out from her face. He must've sensed her embarrassment, as he reached for her arm and grabbed it, not too forcefully, but enough to make her spin around to face him. "Really Anna, just relax," he said, and she smiled. He let his fingers trail a little bit longer on her arm before he let his hand drop.

"Alright," she said, and the two of them walked in silence for a few seconds, until it was disturbed by two certain droids. Luke grinned as they both moved out of Leia's quarters, Artoo leading the way. Threepio didn't seem to realize that the two Jedi's-in-training were there, and he reacted in his usual, surprised way when he did turn around and saw them.

"Master Luke! Miss Anna!" he called out, and walked over to them briskly, with Artoo rolling along behind him, unusually silent.

"Something wrong, Threepio?" Luke asked.

"No, but Princess Leia wants to make sure the you're going down to the hall to eat," Threepio said. "Now I can tell her that you are. At least, that's what it looks like."

Luke nodded. "And Anna is coming with me," he said. "Tell Leia that too."

Threepio nodded in an awkward fashion and walked back to the door to Leia's quarters. "Come on Artoo, we have other work to do," he said to the Astromech droid as he walked by. Artoo beeped at him and turned around to follow him. Anna smiled as she watched the two droids. She felt as though she was really developing a good relationship with both of them, and even though they hadn't talked much, she found herself caring for both of them equally.

"Aren't we going to go eat?" Anna asked, seeing that Luke was still looking at the door to Leia's quarters, where the two droids had disappeared to. He blinked and looked over at her.

"Yeah, sorry," he said. "I was just thinking about something…" He trailed off, and Anna lightly reached over to touch his shoulder.

"Are you relapsing?" she asked, keeping her voice quiet.

"No, I'm not," he said, but Anna could see that he wasn't being honest with her.

"Luke, you can tell me," she said, and looked around, seeing if anyone was watching. "Look, I'm not all that hungry right now. If you need to rest for a while, I'll let you."

"No, I need to eat," he said. "It's a vital part of my recovery that I haven't been holding up yet. Afterward, would you mind teaching me how to get into that meditate state that I've been seeing you in recently? Back on Dagobah, it looked like it helped with your recovery a lot."

They both started walking again. The doorway to the entrance of the hallway was in view now, and Anna slowed her pace slightly.

"It did," she admitted. "It helped with my Force ability too, finding a good state to rest in. It's very rejuvenating."

"Well, you certainly look a lot better than you did for the past few hours," he said, and she nodded. After she had arrived on the medical frigate, her morale had been very low. Her face looked hollow and she looked even more fragile than she already was, at first glance. In reality, there was nothing fragile about her, just the intricate barriers that she put up around her mind to block out the unwanted thoughts when she was meditating.

Both of the Jedi's-in-training walked into the room, which was, for the most part, empty, with a few of the Rebel pilots sitting around a section of the long benches. They didn't pay them any attention, as they were too busy wrapped up in their own conversation, whatever that may be.

Luke directed her over to the place where she would be able to get the food by placing his fingers on her back, as he stood behind her, and angled her so that she could walk straight.

"You know," she said as she picked up a plate. "I can walk just fine on my own. It should be your own well-being that you should be worried about."

"And you know that I can't do that," he responded as she began to dish out her food. "It's a Jedi quality, being selfless like that."

"That's something that I need to work on, big time," she said, partially to herself, keeping her voice hushed.

"You don't strike me as the type of person who would be selfish," he said.

"I believe that the correct word that you're looking for is self-absorbed," she said, turning around to look at him while he dished out his food.

"No, that was the perfect word to describe Han when I met him though," he said, keeping his gaze directed at the food. "Only cared about money and his own skin."

"Sounds like he had a change of heart when he joined the Rebellion," Anna said as Luke finished dishing out and walked with her over to the opposite end of the bench where the other Rebels were sitting.

"He did, it was after we rescued Leia from the Death Star," he said. "The assault would've failed if he wouldn't have arrived." Luke paused. "I would've been killed if it wasn't for him."

"Is this why you're going after him," Anna s=asked as she began to eat. "Is it because you feel like you have a debt to repay him?"

"I guess you could say that, but that's not the whole reason. Han and I have actually bonded as friends. Maybe not as close as my friendship with Leia, but still strong nevertheless."

"I'm starting to have that friendship with Leia now too. Maybe it's because we're part of only a handful of women in the Rebellion, but she has a Force presence. I can feel it."

"And I thought that I was the only one that could feel that."

"I don't think that she knows, though."

"She doesn't, that much is true. If she did, she'd probably be training it like you are."

"I'm not sure if she would be that willing to accept it right away. After all, I was shocked to hear about it at first. It's not something that you take lightly at first."

"But you're happy that you trained."

"Of course I am."

They both ate in silence for a couple minutes, and Anna's mind trailed off to the mission that she would be embarking on soon. She hoped that she as able to get a ship like her old one that had crashed on Dagobah, as X-wing ships made her feel a little bit claustrophobic. Her old ship had been trustworthy until the crash, but it had still saved her life. The crash seemed so distant now that her near-death experience was no longer nagging at her. Still, she knew that she was in constant danger to relapse at any point in time, just as Luke was. He had lived through a much more traumatic event though, and it was still very recently. Anna looked up at the ceiling for a moment, promising that she would make sure to use her short amount of time left on the medical frigate to protect him from his own memories. Nothing was more dangerous than falling victim to you own mind, in Anna's view. The thought of having your own thoughts consume you, no matter for how long it was, was a terrifying feeling and thought, and she didn't want to have it anywhere near her. The best way to do that was to eliminate the risk in Luke.

"Are you almost done?" she asked, breaking the silence between them. "I can teach you how to meditate once you're ready."

"Just about," he answered with a smile. "We've got time right now, don't worry."


	11. Calm Before the Departure

**Chapter Eleven: Calm Before The Departure**

Meditation was a tool that hardly anyone could master, yet everyone knew about. It was the only time when Anna felt safe from the dark and horrific thoughts of Cloud City, which she had been struggling to suppress. She wasn't afraid of relapsing though, and she was sure that the meditation helped her. During the time that she was in the subconscious state, she could let go of all of the unpleasant feelings, thoughts, and memories, and surround herself with the ones that she wanted to remember. However, no matter how hard or how many times she tried, she could not erase the brutal memory on Cloud City. She could still feel the intense pain that had struck her heart when Luke's hand had been severed from his arm, and the cold, numbing feeling that Vader brought with him. The adrenaline that had coursed through her veins was still something she could feel, and the memory of the expressionless mask that Vader wore was seared into the back of her mind, unable to release its iron hold on her mind.

Teaching meditation was something that Anna didn't want to experiment with, but she knew that it would help Luke if he knew how to make himself relax, and start to let go of his terrifying memories that he no doubt still thought about, and that plagued him on a regular basis. Anna could feel when he was unsettled, and whenever he was, she was always by his side, ready to help him through the tough times that he was going through. What she was going to through wasn't light by any means, but Luke had suffered so much more than emotional and mental trauma. The soft, barely-audible sound of the mechanical joints in his right hand were proof of the scars that he would bear forever.

When his ice-blue eyes opened again from one of the meditating sessions that Anna had induced on him, she smiled warmly and stood up. "Feel better?" she asked, reaching for her leather jacket that was lying casually on the chair that stood in the corner of his room, beside his bed.

"I feel great," he said. "I'm starting to regret sending you off to go and train again."

"It was my choice," Anna said, looking down at her jacket as she pulled it around her shoulder. "Besides, I still have a few more hours here. The ship that Leia called for just arrived and is being inspected and cleared for travel."

"I guess that's true," Luke responded, sitting up on the bed and standing up so he could look at her properly. "Make sure that you keep in touch with me."

"My com-link is all set up," she said, and pulled out the small, white microphone-looking device from a pocket in her jacket. "I'll make sure that I stay in contact."

"Good," he said, and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. Anna barely even paid it any attention even though her heart was starting to flutter, as it usually did, at his touch.

"I'll be in my room getting some things together if you need me," she said a little too quickly, and she realized it right after she said it, but hoped that Luke didn't hear it at first. If he did, he made no sign, and nodded as she pulled away from him, letting his hand drop from her shoulder.

Once she was walking down the hallway again, alone, Anna took a deep breath and took and exaggerated blink. Even though she had admitted the feelings to herself, she didn't feel that she was emotionally ready to act on them, not to mention how dangerous it would be. She knew that if Vader found out that they had strong feelings for each other, then he could use one to get to the other one. Anna didn't want Luke to have more things to worry about, and she wanted to keep it that way. Until she felt that she was ready, she wouldn't try and make any sort of move to act upon her feelings. She turned into her room and shut the door, not hesitating to turn the lock. After it was securely locked in place, she turned around and rested her back on the door before sliding down it, putting herself in a sitting position. She hadn't meditated yet that day, and now she had time. She shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the door.

* * *

><p><em>Flying was my natural feeling. I knew that I didn't want to do anything else. It had been a habit for me to fly, and almost instantly, I began to regret it as I was snapped back to the not-so-forgotten past, with red lights flashing at me. The last time I had flown had been one that I thought I would not survive, yet I had. Through odds defied, I had fought through it. And now I was going to die for it.<em>

_He was so much scarier in person. I had heard so many things about him, terrible things, and that he was the reason behind the war. My heart skipped a beat as he talked in his rumbling voice._

_"__He'll be here any minute now to find you," he said. "And then I'll have something else to use against him."_

_Suddenly, the face turned into Luke's, but it wasn't him. It was a much darker version of him, yet he looked so real. It had been the piercing yellow eyes that had been burned into my head._

* * *

><p>Anna's head shot forward as she was jolted out of the nightmare. Everything had happened so fast, and she raised her hand to her head. The voice still rumbled in her head, and she shook it, trying to get it out. The disturbing image of Luke turning to the dark side was one that would not leave her alone, no matter how hard she fought to get it out of her head. Her breath was coming in uneven gasps and she rubbed her face, trying to get the last bit of sleep to wear off before she stood up.<p>

She knew that what she had wasn't a nightmare. She had never had any nightmares. They were visions, and now she knew why she had seen the horrors twice. She had always passed them off as nightmares, but now that she was training in the ways of the Force, she knew better than to be to ignorant. All she could do now was hope that she was wrong. Luke couldn't turn to the dark side, and she wouldn't let him. As she walked into the middle of the near-barren room, she sighed. Still, she couldn't let her vision change her person. Everything had been blurry up until the point where she had seen Luke's face. It had been so clear that it was still front and centre in her mind, and it was making her almost afraid to blink. Whenever her eyes were closed, for any amount of time, she could see the face, and it scared her.

There was a knock at her door, and Anna knew exactly what it was before she even opened the door. It was time for her to leave.

* * *

><p><strong>I know that it's short, but since I have been focusing on another writing project for July, I decided to release this. Once I am done with my July project (I'm halfway done), I'll get back into writing this story. Until then, this will be the last update until my newest project is finished. <strong>


	12. Second Arrival

Arriving for the second time on Dagobah was very different for the first, other than the obvious reason that stood out prominently. As she arrived, she could feel the lack of warmth that Luke had emitted through his presence in the Force. Yoda's was there, but she could tell that it was getting weaker.

Anna stepped out of her small ship that she had flown to Dagobah, which was much like her old ship. She didn't have any problem flying, and even though the blurred images of the vision still hung in her mind, she was able to push them down and bury them, if only for a while.

There was one thing that she didn't miss about Dagobah, and that was the swampy ground the covered most of the surface. She hated the noise that it made under her boots, and she hated the constant feeling of thinking that something would jump out at her. Anna shook her head. She was here for one reason, and one reason only; to finish her training.

She was nearing Yoda's little cave-like house when she nearly missed the small Jedi master, as he was sitting on a rock, blending in with the backdrop of the swamp. She stopped suddenly and smiled as she saw the Jedi master. "Master Yoda," she half-breathed, a smile forming on her face. The Jedi Master only looked up at her, his expression sad.

"Luke," he said. "Why did he not come with you?"

"He's recovering from his confrontation with Vader," Anna answered, walking over to him. "He told me to come out here and finish my training."

She sat down on a rock that was lower than the one that the Jedi Master was sitting on, so that she could talk to him at eye-level. "I have something to tell you," she said, suddenly remembering the vision once again. "I had a vision." Yoda's eyes brightened with curiosity, but suddenly dulled when he saw her solemn expression. "I had a vision that involved Luke turning to the Dark Side."

At first, Yoda was silent. Everything on the planet seemed to halt at her words for a split second before they resumed their activity. Yoda looked at the swampy ground and took a deep breath. "Troubling, this is," he said. Anna looked over at her ship for a second before she looked back at Yoda.

"You're not telling me something," she said. "What is it?"

"Strong feelings for Luke, you have," he said, and Anna nodded. "Tell you about the restrictions of Jedi's, I did not."

"You're saying that I need to let Luke go and relinquish my feelings for him?" she asked, keeping her voice hushed.

Yoda only nodded, and that tiny gesture in itself was enough to crack her spirit. She had never known about the existence of restrictions that the Jedi were placed under. "I didn't know," she said, turning her head away.

Yoda still remained quiet, and she was thankful that he kept quiet. She needed to battle this out in her mind, on her own. She placed her arms in front of her and leaned on them, as if she was trying to get rid of some of the weight on her mind. Even though she had not yet made a relationship with Luke official, it still hurt her as if she had been married to him.

She looked up at Yoda with sad eyes. "When can we start my training?" she asked.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope that this chapter was alright. I just wanted to get something out there. The next one will be a but more extensive (as I like to write small chapters before I write large one.)<strong>

**Anyway, life update!**

**I just finished my Camp Nanowrimo project (and won), so now I'm waiting for my hardcover copy to arrive. In August, I'm going out to spend some time on the Canadian West Coast, which is what I do every year, so hopefully I'll be able to find some inspiration out there. In September, updates may slow down because classes resume then, and I need to put my energy toward that, but that's a little while away.**

**I'm going to really strive for weekly updates as I have a lot of time now to really relax and write leisurely. **


	13. The Long Road

**Chapter Thirteen: The Long Road**

It was hard for Anna at first to get over what Yoda had told her. Even though she knew that her feelings were not yet strong enough, it hurt her like nothing that she knew before. Never had she dated anyone, as she had never been inclined to. She was always the odd person out as she was growing up, fascinated in flying, and no one ever thought that she would amount to anything.

Training had taken her mind off of her emotions, and she was ever so thankful for that. There was nothing about training that was remotely enjoyable. Even though Yoda didn't look like he would be able to do what he did, he pushed her to her limits, constantly testing her. Still, she knew that she was making progress.

After a tiring day of training, all Anna wanted to do was rest and sleep for a little while, and rest her tiring muscles. Yoda had started her in the ways of the Force first, and she was convinced that it was the hardest part of all of the training. It was both mentally and physically exhausting, but she knew that training with the lightsaber was going to be a lot more on the physical aspect of things. Anna wasn't as weak as some people thought her out to be, but she was only able to do small repairs on her ship when it came to testing her strength. Standing on her arms while focusing on levitating objects seemed like a distant fantasy to her, until she was doing it.

It was getting into the later hours of the night, and Yoda had already retired to his bed. Anna was sitting up on the pile of blankets that had been set out for her to sleep in, her mind constantly wandering. She was trying not to dwell on anything, and just let her thoughts pass by, giving each one a look, but no serious action. She had been on the planet for two weeks, but tomorrow was the day that she would finally get to try out a lightsaber, and focus on that for as long as Yoda instructed her to.

Finally, she let herself fall down onto her back, looking up at the ceiling, suddenly remembering a time not too long ago when she had been under this roof, recovering from a crash that should have killed her. She found her mind travelling back to Luke, and she winced. Any memory that had him in it suddenly made Anna restless. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to rid the images from her mind so that she could sleep in peace.

* * *

><p>The next morning came quickly, and Yoda was awake before Anna, as usual. She could hear his raspy voice in her head as she slowly returned to a conscious state. He was talking to himself, as he usually did, and Anna opened her eyes. Yoda was standing close to the fireplace, his back turning to her, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes as she turned her head.<p>

Today was the day that she was most looking forward to. Never before had she held a lightsaber, but she had seen Luke wield one. Yoda turned as she made her presence more apparent. "First, assemble your lightsaber, you must," he said, and Anna shifted over to where he stood. She was somewhat used to the low ceiling in Yoda's home, and soon, her eyes drafted to the long handle sitting next to Yoda, and a magnificent stone that lay only a few inches away. "You got one of these?" she asked, almost out of breath. The stone was one that she had never seen herself, but she knew that people would pay tens of thousands to own one. It was a Krayt dragon pearl; one of rarest stones that she had ever laid eyes on.

"For a long time, I've had it," he said. "Use it well, I know you will." She smiled at his indirect compliment, and looked down at the hilt.

"Isn't this hilt type that of a Sith's lightsaber?" she asked, noticing the spaces for a double blade.

"Yes, but modified for a Jedi, it is," he said. Anna lighting set her hand over the cool metal hilt and looked up at Yoda.

"Now you must assemble your lightsaber," he said, and began his lesson. It was probably the only lesson that Anna had listened to with such a keen interest.

It took a good deal of time before the lightsaber was finally assembled. Krayt pearls were one of the most tedious things to use in a lightsaber blade, but it was worth it to see the colour of her blade as it lit up to be a beautiful pearl-white. She gripped the lightsaber in the middle, looking at both ends of the blade. It was such a powerful feeling that she got as she held her lightsaber, and she smiled at it. Her blaster seemed something like a child's toy compared to this.

Both Master and Student walked out to the area where she had done her Force training. "Let the Force flow through you," Yoda said. "Let it guide your blade. Think too much, do not."

Anna nodded and took a deep breath before she began to swing the blade at a nearby tree, and was almost in awe as the white blade flew so elegantly and so deadly through the air. It was almost effortless to wield, and Anna smiled as she got used to the feel of the double blade in her hand. She paused and allowed the dual-blades to withdraw into themselves, and then looked over at Yoda, who seemed pleased with her. "Thank you," she said. Words could barely describe the awe that she was feeling at her new, prized weapon.

* * *

><p>Anna completely lost track of the time after that. Her work ethic had increased, and she knew it. It was in the final days when everything started to cool down for her, and she knew that she was nearly at the point where she could call herself a Jedi Knight. Yoda was also pleased with her progress. She still marvelled at her lightsaber, and never passed up on an opportunity to thank the old Jedi Master for his gratitude toward her. When it was time for her to leave, she was almost saddened.<p>

Yoda watched as she began to load up her ship, her new title of Jedi Knight still sticking in her head. She couldn't stop smiling, repeating Yoda's words in her head over and over again, thinking that she was now a full-fledged Jedi Knight. Her prized weapon hung in her belt, the shining silver blade lightly tapping her thigh as she moved.

She looked over at Yoda, who was perched on a log, watching her intently while holding his wooden staff in front of him, leaning on it slightly. She hopped down from her ship and approached him. "Thank you," she said. "For everything. You have no idea what this means to me." Yoda laughed and nodded in a welcoming gesture.

"Great potential in both you, and Luke, I see," he said, and Anna smiled.

"I don't know what to say so that I can fully express my gratitude toward you," she said.

"You don't have to do anything," Yoda said, shaking his head. "A Jedi Knight, you are, and you have truly shown me everything."

Anna turned away and closed her eyes. Even though she still wasn't a big fan of Dagobah, she couldn't help but feel a little bit saddened. She turned back to look at Yoda, and brushed off her pants. "I'll return," she said. "With Luke, I promise you."

Yoda just nodded.

* * *

><p><strong>I was really excited to write this chapter, mainly because I did some research on lightsaber colours and nearly freaked out. I've just starting the climbing action part of this story, so there is still a lot more to come. I've also thrown some plot twists in there as well, because who doesn't love a good plot twist?<strong>

**I've been thinking about the state of this story. I love all of you guys that are reviewing, following, and favouriting this, as it really does mean a lot to me. Whenever I see a new email from Fanfiction saying that someone has followed/favourited/followed my story, I always smile. I'm always getting new ideas about how to continue this story, and the current line that it's going down is setting up for me to do one of the most risky things that I've ever done in writing, and I really hope that you guys will love it. But we're not there yet!**

**I'm hoping to get one more chapter done on Sunday (August 3rd) because I'll be sitting in an airport for over an hour, and I always get there way too early. **

**Also, credit to highlander348 for giving me the double-bladed lightsaber idea!**


	14. Knight and Her Lightsaber

Chapter Fourteen: Knight and Her Lightsaber

Her ship docked smoothly to the medical frigate. Luke was still not fully recovered yet, and they wanted to make sure that he was feeling in top shape before he went out again. Of course, he still had quite a bit of physiological healing left to do, and that was no secret. Anna could see it in the way he carried himself, and she could feel it. There was no way that it would be an easy fix for him; this was something that was far deeper than anything that she could've ever imaged.

She went to her room first, managing to sneak past the rebels that had been waiting outside of her ship. She smiled as she walked swiftly down the familiar corridor, and turned into her room, to which the door was open. She walked over to her bed to see that her usual black leather jacket was sitting on top of the blankets. There was nothing that she wanted more than to get out of the clothes that had the smell and memories of the swamp embedded within their fibres.

Within a few minutes, she was dressed in her black leather jacket, with dark, skinny-legged flexible pants. Her hair hung in loose curls around her face, and she brushed them aside slightly as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Things had definitely changed about her, and that was no secret. She looked to have gained some muscle tone to her, and she didn't look near as frail as before. She was still thin, but she didn't seem like someone who would completely collapse in a fight. Anna knew that her training had strengthened her in some aspects, but she knew that the inevitable meeting with Luke would be the hardest. Though they hadn't directly admitted their feelings for each other, it would feel just as bad. They had barely even touched each other's hands, or really even got to know each other. She knew that Luke would be able to pick up on her sudden hesitance that she knew would happen, but she had to do her best to not expose it. She glanced down at her prized weapon and lightly lay her hand over it. She had not yet gotten used to the pearl-white colour of her blade that she had never seen before. Luke's was, or at least had been, blue, but that lightsaber was gone. Anna felt her eyes drop as she remembered the brief time that she had spent on Cloud City. Even though it hadn't happened too long ago, it felt like months, even years had passed, not weeks. She sighed and took one more look at herself in the mirror before she walked out of the room.

Leia was the first person that Anna ran into, and they both smiled at each other as they neared.

"Good to see you back," Leia commented as she slowed her pace.

"It's nice to see you too," Anna said. "Feels like a long time since I was last here. Any more news on Han?"

Leia's gaze fell. "Not that I've heard," she said. "Lando and Chewie are still out there working on their part in the mission, but enough about that. How was training? I see you've got yourself a new weapon."

Anna smiled and took her double-bladed hilt out from her belt and held it out for Leia to see. "It's been modified," Anna said.

"It's really nice," Leia said. "By the way, Luke has been waiting for you in the dining hall."

Anna's heart twitched, and she nodded. "I'll go meet him there. Nice seeing you."

Leia nodded in return and started up again. She smiled once more at Anna before she turned back to look ahead of her, down the corridor, walking at her usual clipped pace.

Anna walked slowly to the dining hall. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Luke, it was just that Yoda's words had stuck in her head. She had rarely talked to Luke through the com-link, and she knew that he wasn't too pleased about that, but she knew that he mostly felt sorrow. It was no secret that not talking to him at the end of everyday like she had told him had taken its toll on him. He had always sounded slightly saddened whenever she had finally come on to talk to him, and it killed her inside. She had been careful to only talk to him while Yoda was resting, and not paying much attention to her. Sometimes, the way his voice sounded scared her enough to think of the Dark side of the Force.

She walked into the dining hall, which was empty for the most part. A section of the lights had been turned off, and she saw the other Jedi member of the rebels sitting at one of the smaller tables, his head down as he looked at the food in front of him. Anna took a deep breath and picked up her pace as she neared his table.

"Luke," she called softly, and his head shot up at her voice. She forced a smile at him, and he too seemed to be pushing his facial expression, ad not letting it come naturally.

"When did you arrive?" he asked, gesturing to the chair in front of him across the table. Anna pulled it back and settled into it.

"Not too long ago," she answered. "I wanted to change out of the clothes that I wore on Dagobah before I made my arrival public. Leia already caught me up with everything that has happened so far."

Luke looked down at his food again. "It's starting to seem hopeless, but maybe it's just because I'm stuck in here, and they're out there," he said, and sighed. "I don't have a lot of time left here, so that's good. But enough about me; how was your training?"

Anna didn't say anything, but instead looked down at her weapon that was clipped onto her belt. "I guess that the highlight was that I got my prized weapon," she said, and pulled it off of her belt before setting it on the table. Luke looked at it once before he paused.

"Double blade?" he asked, picking it up.

"Yep," she said. "With a Krayt dragon pearl as the crystal."

Luke ignited one of the blades and stood up before igniting the other one. He stared at the brilliant glow of the uncommon colour emanating from the blade. Anna loved to see the look of awestruck on his face.

"A Krayt dragon pearl?" he asked, and Anna nodded, though she was certain that he was too preoccupied with examining her lightsaber to notice her movements. "Those are really rare."

"Yoda said that he trusted me to use it to the best of my abilities," Anna explained.

"I trust that you will too," Luke said, and Anna smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Slowly advancing this story toward ROTJ…sloooowlyy.<strong>

**It should be picking up again in the next few chapters.**


	15. Mock Battle Part I

In the weeks that followed Anna's arrival back from her training, Luke's recovery was starting to slow down. Physically, he was getting much stronger, but mentally, he was still weak. Anna was trying her best to help him through it, but she was finding it difficult. She was keeping Luke's skills with the Force sharp by training, and Luke had finally completed construction of his new lightsaber.

"We need to battle," Luke was saying as they walked down one of the many corridors of the frigate. Anna, who had been daydreaming about nothing in particular, suddenly was jolted back to reality as Luke spoke suddenly.

Luke smiled at her as she shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "I was zoned out. What were you saying?"

"Now that my lightsaber is finished, we should have a mock battle," he said.

"Are you that starved for action?" Anna asked, lightly touching the sides of her head with the pads of her fingertips.

"You have no idea what it's like when you're treated like someone who seems so fragile, when in actuality, you're not," he said. "I just want to re-establish that I am still strong, but that I just suffered a setback in the past few months."

"Understandable," she said. "But I do know what it's like."

"The time when you were recovering from your crash doesn't count."

"I know, it's something else, a long time ago, but when I was around eight or nine years old. My parents must have known that I was Force-sensitive, and they knew how dangerous it was for me. In hindsight, I understand why they protected me from everything, but then, I hated it. I hated being locked up, unable to go outside hardly at all, or learn to fly like my friends were doing. It lasted like that until I left home at eighteen."

"Then it sounds like we both need redemption in some way."

"I guess you're right."

The two continued to walk along the perfect halls of the medical frigate, and Anna turned her head slightly to look at Luke.

"There isn't anywhere for us to duel," she said.

"Not with that attitude," he said with a smirk, and Anna lowered her head, wondering for a moment what could they possibly be walking toward. she didn't have to dwell in the idea for long before her head shot up again.

"You've planned this all out, haven't you?" she asked, and Luke only smiled as they walked through the double doors at the end of the hallway, into a vast, white, empty room.

"I've got nothing but time right now," he said. "Why waste it when we could be doing something productive?"

He walked into the room, and Anna leaned against the door frame, smiling. "Fine," she said. "But, this is a one-time thing."

Luke just smiled. "Alright," he said, and Anna walked slowly into the middle of the room, shrugging her jacket off and tossing it to the side.

"I'm ready," she said, and pulled her lightsaber from her belt.

* * *

><p><strong>So I realize I've been starving you guys since August. I'm still alive, don't worry lol.<strong>

**I've been doing a lot of writing for my original fiction that I'm planning to get published, as well as university applications and work taking over my life. But, I'm not going to abandon this story, or you guys. Updates will be slow until the end of January, and then they'll start to pick up again.**

**Sorry this one is short, but I figured that you guys would want something. I'll probably get another chapter out after I'm done my NaNoWriMo project.**


	16. Mock Battle Part II

The room was devoid of any furniture whatsoever, and the only life forms in the room were the two humans as they prepared to battle. Luke had not swung a lightsaber, at least to Anna's knowledge, since the traumatic events of Cloud City, but as far as she knew, Luke could've been practicing daily, working on his skills with his lightsaber. She had not used hers very much either, only on Dagobah. Even though she had used it recently, Luke had faced Vader in combat, something that she had never done before. She had never swung it at anything living, only at the targets that Yoda had used to train her. She had the skill set, but without ever putting it into practice before, she knew that it would be an interesting mock battle.

She held the handles of her double-bladed lightsaber tightly, her eyes scanning over each counter of the handle. She had not ignited the blade, but she knew that the time would be upon her soon. She looked over her shoulder at Luke, who was warming up by holding the handle of his lightsaber in his hand and swimming his arm around in a series of battle moves. She had yet to see the colour of his blade, as he had not yet shown her. She smiled as he paused for a moment to look at her.

"Are you done?" she asked in a tone that was almost condescending. Luke turned his body so that he was facing her.

"I suppose so," he said. "You?"

Anna looked down at the handle of her lightsaber and ignited the double blades. "Of course," she said, and turned quickly to face him.

"Do you need me to go slow with you?" she asked, and Luke shook his head.

"No, I want to see what you can do now with your new training," he said, and she smiled.

"Alright then," she said. "But don't complain when I take you down."

Luke brushed off her comment and ignited his own blade, which Anna was surprised to see that colour of. Instead of the pale blue of his original lightsaber, this one was emerald green. For a moment, she was transported back to her home, and to Dagobah, but only for a moment before she snapped her eyes back up to his face, which was also illuminated with a shadow of the green light that the blade gave off. She moved her hand so that her dual blades were held at a horizontal angle in front of her. Both her and Luke were waiting for each other to make the first move. Anna's mind was trying to tell her exactly which beginning move to use, but she tried to shut it off. She knew that the key to becoming a Jedi Master was to move on instinct and create the muscle memory and reflexes that would save her life in a battle. She also knew that shove the emotions in her heart and mind down to a place where they wouldn't interfere with her fight.

She spun around on her heels, her hair flying out in a delay behind her, and one side of her lightsaber's handle taking the lead on her commencing move. Luke moved his blade up easily to block the attack, but Anna didn't stop. She twisted her wrist and moved the end of her lightsaber that had been lagging in the first attack forward. Luke had to move quickly to counter the effect of the sudden attack from Anna, as the double blades were a great force to be reckoned with. He had not expected her to move to quickly with her deadly weapon. He jumped back slightly to dodge the flying pearl-coloured blade, and blocked it with his own green blade. The lightsabers hissed at each other when they connected with each other, and the miniature explosion that went off when was a perfect blend of a cream and emerald light. Anna stepped back as well to recover from her attack, and she smiled as Luke stood taller after he too had jumped back.

"That was an unexpected twist you've learned," he said, and he made sure to hint at the proud tone of his voice as she smiled.

"Thanks," she said, and moved quickly at him again, and he blocked her blade once more. They paused for a moment, their lightsabers snarling at the prolonged contact. Anna was the first one to break away, letting her double blades move easily in her fingers as she let the handle of her weapon dance around within them. Luke was able to block every one, but he was on the defensive side of things, which he hated. He knew that he had to move to the offensive, so he stepped forward after a blocked attack, making Anna step back. Her body curved away from the growling weapon in Luke's hands, and she blocked his lightsaber with one of her own blades. They didn't spend very long in the position that Luke was assuming in an attempt to push her down. She regained her position and fought him back so that her back could straighten up and the two of them could look at each other properly.

Anna's mind had shut off at that moment, and all she waned to do was to push Luke down to his back, and stand above him, victorious. All of her emotions and her feelings toward him were gone, and her body and muscles were reacting on pure instinct. She had nothing to lose at that moment, and went in on the attack, one of her blades leading her forward. Luke was expecting the attack and threw his lightsaber in front of his face to protect himself from the bright blade. Anna let her finger twirl her lightsaber around in her hand again as her second blade swooped in under her arm and Luke had to react in a split second to block it. Luke then moved in on his attack, and Anna was forced back a few more steps.

The two of them alternated their positions for a while until fatigue began to settle in on them. Obviously, the fight had been physically and mentally exhausting, and both parties were feeling the strain that hoisting a lightsaber and shutting down the mind placed on them. Luke was the first one to draw in his lightsaber, and he looked up at her as she too paused. Both of them were panting after the effort that they had thrown at each other, and her mind began to restart back into its usual form.

Anna straightened up and sighed, as her lightsaber disengaged.

"It seems the two of us are at equal skill level," she said. "My complete training and your real-world battle experience looks as though it balances."

"Apparently it does," Luke said as he watched Anna walk over to where her jacket was lying. It was the first time that Luke had been able to see the transformation that Anna had gone through while she had been on Dagobah. Her sleeveless shirt offered him the inside look as to how well she had bene conditioning. Her arms were well-toned, and looked as though she had been working on her strength quite a bit. She didn't look weak before, but now she looked as though she could take anyone down, and wouldn't go down herself without a fight. She picked her jacket up and shook it out before she turned to look back at Luke.

"We need to keep doing this," she said, and he walked over to her.

"Agreed," he said. "As soon as I get the call, we'll be on our way to rescue Han."  
>Anna nodded, clipped her lightsaber to her belt and slipped her jacket on. "When do you want to do this next?" he asked, and she shrugged.<p>

"I'm open to anything," she said. "I've got nothing to do around here anyway, so I need to keep myself occupied one way or another."

Luke smiled, and Anna realized then how close the two of them were to each other. She leaned back slightly against the wall so that she was at a height slightly lower than Luke's eye level. She paused, waiting for something that she didn't know or truly understand, but whatever she was anticipating never came. Instead, Luke seemed to realize that he was quite close to her, and backed up slightly before he left the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys liked that! I'm aiming for updates at least every week since I've got a lot of spare time on my hands right now, so hopefully there won't be any more really long delays!<strong>


	17. Traumatic Tales

**Please note; this chapter was very emotional and difficult for me to write. Please be considerate when reviewing.**

Anna's back story was one that she hid well, never revealing more than she wanted. Often times, she would only let a sentence slip through, and it never said much about her past, shadowing it even further. Sometimes, she would lie just to move off of the subject, and Luke had caught onto the signals that she made when she wanted to get off of her back story. Just from the way her pupils dilated and her muscles tensed whenever he asked her about her life before the crash, he knew that whatever had happened to her was not something she wanted to bring up. He had gone through a traumatic experience himself, and now he wanted to help her with overcoming her own mental barriers. She wasted at blocking him out of her mind, and he knew that she was consciously making the design to keep him out of her mind, which was both infuriating and admirable, as he wanted to know what was inside of her mind and was frustrated whenever she shut him out, but he knew that her mental strength was well-conditioned if she was able to block out his mind tricks. Nothing about her was weak now, as Yoda had trained her well and pushed her to the point of breaking, both mentally and physically, but it had helped her in ways that she had not yet realized.

The two had been practicing their Force skills when Anna suddenly shied away from him. She threw herself against the wall behind her, her back pressed to it, and she was looking at Luke like he had just tried to assault her. Luke was confused by her sudden response, and he paused, straightening up.

"Did I do something?" he asked softly, and he could see her relax physically when she heard his voice.

"No, you didn't," she said, letting her muscles relax again, and she pushed herself away from the wall. "It's nothing."

"Obviously not," he said as she turned away from him. "You shot back like I was going to punch you. Did something happen?"

"No," she said curtly. "It was an overreaction, that's all."

"I wasn't even making any movement to go toward you."

Anna sighed and looked up at the ceiling. She knew that Luke was going to push the answer out of her some way or another, and she would have to spill her mind to him. She looked over at him and sighed.

"We need to go somewhere where no one can hear us," she said.

"This place is hardly ever visited," he responded, and she sighed.

"Fine," she said, and took a deep breath before she sat down on the bench that was carved into the wall. Luke walked over to her and sat next to her. he could see the emotions in her face, and none of them seemed to be pleasant at all. They were conflicting with each other, and it looked to be killing her from the inside. He lightly resting his hand over her forearm and her eyes slowly raised to his.

"If you don't feel comfortable telling me, then don't," he said softly, but she just shook her head.

"No, someone needs to hear this," she said, and took a deep breath before she began.

"I had a very distant fifteen years," she said. "I was born on a planet that I still don't know to this day the name of, but I never want to. I don't want anything to do with my family any more. They've caused me so much pain over the years that I'm mentally scarred from it, and it will never heal. I've tried over and over to let go, but the things that happened to me were things that most people can't even begin to imagine.

"The first couple years of my life that I remember were fine in terms of my happiness. I wasn't unhappy, but there was a never an element of happiness in my childhood. My parents hardly ever socialized with me, and I never had the friends that most people my age had. I was always inside the house, not doing much. I had hardly any social skills, and to this day I still suffer from the overpowering forces that my parents placed upon me. Their marriage was not one of happiness either. Our household seemed to thrive on being stuck in limbo; neither happy or unhappy.

"When I turned eight, things started to go downhill. My parents broke out of the limbo state, and not in a good way. They would constantly yell at each other, and my life turned from one of boredom and isolation to one of pure fear. Multiple times my parents would take out their frustrations on me. They made it clear that I was not wanted in their household anymore, and I was only eight years old at this time. I had no idea why it was me, or if this lifestyle was normal. I tried my best to adapt to it, but that too hurt me in ways deeper than you can imagine. Both my father and my mother increased the intensity of which they isolated me from the galaxy. Threats were made, some of which I didn't even understand at the time. They never laid a hand on me, at that time, as it was all mental. Now, in hindsight, I know why they were trying to destroy me from the inside. They knew of my sensitivity to the Force, and they were trying to get it out of me as if it was some sort of possession. They believed in the Empire, though they never went out of their way to worship it. Still, their views on Force-Sensitivity were beyond corrupt. Their mental games that they played with me were almost as if they were trying to vote a response out of me to prove their theories. This continued until I was eleven years old, and then the physical pain started.

"Both my father and my mother began to self-medicate themselves with alcohol. It heightened the physical abuse that I went through, as well as the mental. I had no idea what I had done to deserve the punishments I was getting. I had still not been socialized with anyone, not even my neighbours, and I thought that abuse was a normal cycle of life. My father and my mother would both hit me, and I still have scars, mental and physical that prove it. It was daily that the assaults came, and it always ranged. When I was thirteen, I tried to take my own life, but one of my neighbours had been walking by at the time, and had quickly rushed me to the medical facilities."

Anna paused and looked down at the floor. She could feel her eyes threatening to burst at any moment, and Luke sensed it. He wrapped is arm around her and she leaned into him, desperate for some sort of gentle contact. It had been years since she had thought of her childhood, and now she was reliving everything in her mind. The images plagued her as she remembered when she had grabbed a knife and run into her room. She remembered the sweet pain of the blade cutting into her wrist and the dark red pouring out of the wound. She had thought that she would die that day, but she hadn't. She looked down at her left wrist and saw the faint line that would stay, forever imprinted into her skin. Luke tensed at her side as her finger ran over the scar and he ground his teeth together. No one should ever have to take their own lives, no matter how hard it was. He had realized his feelings for Anna when she had been away, and now, seeing her in this broken mental state felt as though a knife was stabbing him through the heart. He had no idea what he would do if she ever tried to kill herself now knowing how much she meant to him.

"After my suicide attempt, my neighbour tried to come to my defence and take me in to protect me," Anna continued. "I thought that my parents would oblige, but they didn't. They wanted me under their watch at all times. Now that my neighbour knew of my abuse, he was doing all he could to expose it. He was almost at the point to get my parents arrested when the Empire shot him in the head when he was stepping out of his house for a moment.

"At that moment, I knew that I had no safe haven anymore. My parents continued the mental and physical assault, and I knew that I would not be able to hold on for much longer. I was fifteen when I made my plan of attack, and executed it. I was barely able to fight through them because I was so weak. I know now how I did it, through my Force skills that I had no idea that I harboured. I left the planet as soon as I could, and I've been alone ever since."

She finished her story and sighed. The only sound in the room as the faint hum of the overhead lights and the slow beat of their hearts. Luke's feelings felt as though they were being twisted in ways that he could not understand. He didn't know why he was impacted so much by her words, but he felt as though he had lived with her in those images that she had created.

"How anyone could ever bring themselves to hurt you is heartless," he said, and she forced a weak smile. "I can't believe you lived like that for almost a decade."

Anna shifted closer to Luke so that their bodies were touching, and Luke wrapped both of his arms around her shoulders, not in a constricting way, but in a protective way. He knew that what had happened to her was done, but he couldn't help but feel that there was something he could do.

"It's been getting worse now," she said. "I know that Vader knows of my training. He's using it to control my thoughts. I've been getting flashbacks of those images constantly, and it's making me weaker."

"You are not weak," Luke said. "Don't think for a moment that you are weak. The fact that you're still grinding through this tough stretch is proof that you're not weak. If anything, you should be admired for your courage and strength."

"No one will ever know of my true back story except you," she said. "I feel as though I could share anything with you."

"Likewise," Luke said, and Ann turned her head around to look up at him straight-on. Luke's icy orbs held hers easily, and she placed one of her hands on top of his collarbone. She glanced down at his lips and slowly began to move her head forward. Luke followed suit, and the two of them reached for each other before their lips met in an instant. The rejuvenation and fire that Anna felt when their lips met was one that she would never recreate. Her hands slowly move up to his neck, and his hand held the back of her head as she shifted around so that she was fully facing him. Never had she been kissed so gently in her life before. The men that she had associated herself with during her travels were never gentle with her, and were never passionate. Luke was a stark contrast, and she loved it. No longer did the warning signs in her head flash, and she relaxed. In that moment, she forgot all about Yoda's warnings, and lost herself in ecstasy that Luke was creating for her.

She was the first one to pull away, and her eyes fluttered open. Luke was gazing down at her lovingly. Never had she felt this way with a man before, and she liked it. She rested her head on the ridge of Luke's collarbone, and let out a soft sigh. "There's more after you escaped from your parents, isn't there?" Luke asked.

"Yes," she said. "I will tell you, but not now. For now, I just want some time to enjoy that little moment we shared."

* * *

><p><strong>One more chapter until we move to ROTJ!<strong>


	18. Anticipation

**First of all, I want to apologize to all of you. It's been almost a year since I last updated, and I feel awful about it. I could list a bunch of excuses as to why it's been so long, but I don't think that it matters at this point. **

**I will say that I am going to finish this story. It's been said before, and every time I have gone back on a hiatus, so if it seems as though I'm just saying it again, I understand. I am only about halfway through this story, and then I'll start editing so that it reads a bit easier (and there will be sequel, which is currently in the planning stages…).**

**For everyone that's been patient with me, I can't express how much I love you for it. I promise that I'll do better. I never expected this story to get the attention that it has gotten, and it means the world to me.**

**For all of my new followers, favourites, etc, thank you as well. Seeing the alert messages in my inbox made me realize that this story is still important to me, and motivated me to get back to writing it.**

**This chapter is not as long as I wanted it to be, mostly because this character development is starting to drag, but I am already planning out the next chapter.**

**Thank you guys so much for sticking with me!**

It had been a few days since Anna had told Luke a part of her backstory, and since then, she had been very withdrawn. It was as if something within her had also been taken as she had explained the past events to him, but she did feel as though there had been a weight lifted from her. Being repressed was not something that she had paid much attention to in her past, and now that she had been somewhat freed from it, she felt as though she could breathe for the first time in a long time.

That wasn't why she was keeping to herself. In fact, the only person who knew why was the one that had made the first move.

Luke didn't know what to do with the girl. He had acted mostly on impulse, and tried to comfort her, but he had no idea that he would be in the position he was in now. Something had been off with her ever since she had returned from Dagobah, and although he had been meaning to ask her, it seemed insensitive.

_You're the reason she has said nothing for the past few days_, the voice inside his head taunted. _If you would have just sat there, you wouldn't be in this position._

Luke sighed, letting his hands runs thorough his hair. "We just have to get out of here," he said to himself.

The only outlet Anna had was practicing her combat moves, which we're bound to come into play once they left the medical bay, which was starting to feel more and more like a prison. The white walls seemed to be taunting her constantly, and not being able to fly was making her restless. There was nothing she would love more than to jump into one of the ships and fly as far away as possible, not ever looking back, and return to doing what she had been doing before the crash. She looked down at her disengaged lightsaber, and glanced up at the overhanging lights. Luke had not bene there to battle with her, and practicing the essential skills of a Jedi didn't have the same appeal to her as it once did.

In the meantime, the process of the rescue mission was finally in place. They would be leaving in the next few days, which would be a much-needed escape. The months that the others had spent were finally starting to show their effects on everyone. Restlessness was rippling throughout the small group, as well as uneasiness about the plan. Although everyone was clear on their roles, it was going to prove to be a challenge to get out unscathed. Anna's fingers tightened around the hilt of her lightsaber, her gaze directed at the floor, lost in thought.  
>It wasn't just anticipation turning to fear that was starting to catch up to her, it was what Yoda had said to her, back on Dagobah, indirectly. She had been fighting to keep the words out of her head, but now that she was alone with herself for a significant amount of time, it was starting to creep back to her. She had told Luke about the restrictions right after he had kissed her, but it didn't seem to resonate with him that they were viable.<p>

_To be breaking those rules, I'd have to love him in the first place,_ she thought. _Don't be stupid. You've been in the emotional traps before, and look at how it turned out?_

_Don't be caught up in your feelings._ There will be a time when it will haunt you even worse than now.

Anna glanced up as the corner of her eye caught a slender figure in the doorway.

"It's time."


	19. Tatooine

The flight to Tatooine was silent. No one said anything as they all descended towards the sand-covered planet. Anna and Luke were in the closest proximity since the end of their battle, yet by first glance, it looked as though the two of them didn't even notice each other. Anna had the hood of her cloak up and her head turned away from Luke, but her eyes were trained on the small area that she could see. There was a part of her that wanted to be in his arms again, and to have not a care in the galaxy, but her mind was holding her back. The last thing that she needed was to have rumours going about them.

"Master Luke, sir, we are entering the Tatooine system," the voice of a familiar droid rang out, cutting through the silence.

"Good, Threepio," Luke responded, keeping his voice low. "Now, you know the plan. I trust that you and Artoo will execute it."

"We will definitely do our best, sir," Threepio responded. His voice seemed to quiver a little bit, and Anna knew that he was not comfortable with what had been put in place.

"Relax," she said, not turning to face the two. "If you worry, something will go wrong, I can tell you that. Everything is set up for you."  
>"She's right," Luke said. "You'll be fine. Now go and find Artoo. You will be the first ones to go to the palace."<p>

"Yessir," Threepio said, and he began to shuffle away. Luke let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. Even though she couldn't see his face, Ana knew that his eyes were on her.

"We're not going to be able to complete this mission successfully if the two of us aren't talking," Luke said, his voice carrying an irritated tone.  
>"There's nothing left unsaid," she said, still not looking at him. "I was very clear after our kiss."<br>"But you were wrong," Luke said. "It wasn't a mistake. You feel something, as well as I, and we both know it. We can both feel it. What Master Yoda told you…"

She turned to look at him as he trailed off. "Are you going to tell me that what he says doesn't matter anymore?" she asked. "That because the Republic is gone and the Jedi are nearly extinct, that his words mean nothing anymore?"

"Not in that way," Luke said. "I understand that the traditions of a Jedi are set, but you and I are both human. I'm sure that it's not just what Master Yoda told you."

Anna turned away. "The rest of my backstory is not going to be relayed," she said. "The last few years of my life have not been kind to me in terms of falling in love."

"You're afraid of it," Luke said. "And that's why you can't accept your feelings. Fear is an emotion of the dark side."

"It goes much deeper than that, but if you want to think that way, fine," she said.

"Look, if we're going to get through this successfully, the two of us need to not be at odds with each other," he said.

Finally, she turned to face him. Even though she had known him for months, it was the first time that she realized the change he had gone through. Instead of talking sporadically like he had been when she had first met him, he seemed to be much more relaxed and at peace.

As if he knew what she was thinking, he answered her.

"I've learned how to control my emotions," he said.

"And so have I," she responded.

"By not acknowledging them," he said back, and she turned away. There was no reason for her to be lashing back at him in the way she was, butshe couldn't help herself. Taking into account everything that had happened in her past, letting someone in was her greatest fear.

"We have a full day before we're to leave," Luke said. "I want to solve this. I'm tired of the silence."  
>Anna sighed and let the side of her head rest in her palm. "I'm not going to tell you everything," she said. "But, I will tell you what you need to know. I was always afraid of my feelings, from the time that I was young. I lived in fear. It's something that I've become accustomed to. Even when I left home, and began to, associate myself with men for the first time, the feeling of fear never left, and they never did anything to comfort me. Not that it was their job in any way, but I've always feared falling in love. Now, with you, I know that you're nowhere near the other men that I've been with, but the psychological aspect of what I've been through will always stick with me. That's why I have been withdrawn to myself the past few days, and acting rather cold. Mater Yoda told me, when I was training, that he knew of my fear. It will take time to tame, and I can't have you taking it so personally. However, when he told me of the restrictions of the Jedi, I saw it as an excuse." She paused and turned away from him. "I'm only trying to protect myself."<p>

Instead of reacting, like she expected him to, Luke stayed silent. He was thinking, no doubt, but she still couldn't turn to look at him. After all, what she had just said was something that had been building up within her for years, and he was the only person she had met that she felt comfortable sharing fractions of her backstory with.

The silence was broken when Leia walked into the room. Anna turned to look at the former princess.

"Sorry to break this up, but the droids just left," she said. "Are you two clear as to when you are to leave?"

"I'm leaving first," Luke said. "Anna is to follow, and is to ensure that our exit plan is going to go as smoothly as possible."

Anna watched the two of them and began to wring her hands. She would be lying if she wasn't nervous. There were so many ways that the plan could go wrong. Leia seemed to notice the other girl's fidgeting.

"Lando has everything taken care of," she said. "We have backups all over the place. I'm sure everything will be fine, as long as the two that just left don't screw anything up."

"It's not Artoo I'd be worried about," Luke said. "Threepio is much more on edge, and I wouldn't put it past him to distract him and put our plan in jeopardy."

Anna glanced away, looking out the small window that allowed somewhat of a view into Tatooine. It was far from her favourite planet, as the heat, the sand, and the overall tan colour never appealed to her. Still, she wasn't about to insult Luke's home planet in front of him, even if he felt the same. In the months that they had been seemingly trapped on the medical bay, the insight that the two of them gained into each others lives was pretty significant.

"I'll let you know if anything new arises," Leia said, and walked out. Luke turned over to where Anna sat quietly, her hands resting on the table in front of her.

"Just relax, okay?" he said. He wanted to place his hand on her shoulder, but there was a part of him holding the motion back. He couldn't deny that there were feelings between the two of them, but until she figured out how to control her fear of emotion, he wouldn't act on the impulses that he felt anymore.

"I'll be fine," she said, then turned to him, and grinned. "Just make sure your exit strategy works."

* * *

><p><strong>Just kidding, one more development chapter. Action will start up again next chapter (and it should be pretty long. I have a lot of ideas that have built up). I won't be able to get it out in the same time I did with this one, but it shouldn't take more than a week.<strong>


	20. The Exit Strategy

The two Jedi's stayed in the ship for the night. It was just the two of them, as Leia had gone. However, Luke worried about her. She should have been back by now. He was pacing a little bit, constantly glancing out the

windows at the two setting suns.

"Do you think that slug caught her?" Anna asked. She was resting in her chair, holding the hilt of her lightsaber.

"Lando has already confirmed it," he said. "Apparently Jabba's holding her as his slave. She released Han, as she was supposed to, and I guess when they tried to get away, he was able to catch them. Lando tried to get away with her, but Jabba made sure she stayed with him."

"So what's your plan?" she asked.

"We're going to have to change when we go," Luke said. "In order to not look overly suspicious, Lando wants us to go in a couple of days. He'll make sure nothing bad happens to them." He paused. "I want you to come with me."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"You'll be fine," he said. "After all, you're the one who's trained."

She glanced down at her lightsaber. "What makes you think that Jabba will even listen to you?" she asked.

Luke smiled. "The best part about having someone on the inside is that you can control a lot more than you think," he responded. "Lando knew that this might happen, and he knows how to counter it. All you have to do is stay close to me. I'll do the talking. If there are two of us, there's a chance he might be more intimidated."

"It's Jabba the Hutt," Anna said. "He's not intimidated easily."

"Still, the two of us can think quickly," Luke said. "I have faith in you."

She smiled, lifting her lightsaber up to that she could look at it better. It was still her pride and joy, and learning how to wield the double blades was a challenge, but she was able to figure out a strategy. She glanced up at Luke, and for a brief moment, an unwelcome memory suddenly forced its way into her mind. The nightmare she had been plagued with back on the medical frigate, with Luke, and those piercing yellow eyes…

She shook her head. There was no reason to dwell on what had happened in the past. It had been months since she had even thought of the memory, why was it suddenly returning to her now?

Luke sat down in the seat next to her, and she clipped her lightsaber back to her belt. They wouldn't be going until the morning, even though they planned on leaving earlier. It would be suicide to go out in the deserts of Tatooine in the dark. Until then, they were stuck with each other. She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. It felt as though it was forever since she had slept, and even closing her eyes for a few moments, no matter how innocent it may seem, felt as though she was already recharging. It didn't even seem to matter to her that she wasn't in the most comfortable chair in the galaxy, but anything would work. Exhaustion was finally starting to take its toll on her.

However, she was still attentive and heard as Luke shifted forward in his chair. She didn't open her eyes, but she kept her ears on him, trying to pinpoint his location. It was a habit of hers that she had developed through her years and one that was not soon to go away. When you had to worry for your life every time there was the sound of movement, you learned to pick up on everything.  
>Luke said nothing as he walked out of the room, leaving Anna alone. There was a part of him that wondered if it was wise leaving her in the room alone, but it wasn't like she could do anything. Still, there was always that fear of had doing something she would regret.<p>

_Like fall in love_, he thought to himself and turned his head away. Why was he feeling this way about her? It wasn't like they had known each other for very long, only about eight or ten months. Why now? He sighed, and sat down on the small bed that was laid out. Staying in the ship for longer than expected was going to have its ups and downs, there was no question.  
>He lay down on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow, he would be sure to get an update from Lando. There was nothing worse than uncertainty.<p>

* * *

><p>Anna awoke to the sound of Luke's voice resonating through the small ship. She lifted her head, seeing that she had fallen asleep in the chair, and her neck was a little bit stiff because of it. She raised her hand to the back of it and began to gently massage it, then sat up. Luke was still far enough away that she couldn't hear the specific words he was saying, but she knew that he must be talking to Lando. There was no one else he would be in communication with if Leia was captured. She stood up from the chair and stretched, and walked over to where Luke stood.<p>

"Any updates?" she asked.

"Jabba's got his guards posted everywhere, looking out for me," he said. "Jabba is not aware that you are with me."

"The only dangerous people who know I exist are the Imperials," Anna said, turning away from him. "I highly doubt Jabba would know who I am. I keep a pretty low profile, something that this Han person obviously didn't understand."

"He's a smuggler," Luke said.

"And I engaged in that as well," she said. "I never got caught."

"Han's not as stealthy as you are," Luke said. "You'll see what I mean when you meet him. I'm sure you'll like him."

"That would be nothing short of a miracle," Anna said, rolling her eyes. "I've heard almost nothing about this guy except that he's frozen in carbonite, and we're on a rescue mission to get him back."

"We get into a lot of situations," Luke said.

"I can tell," she said, glancing out the window. The same two colours of Tatooine never changed. "Do we leave tomorrow morning, then?"

"From what Lando has told me, yes," he said, standing up from his chair.

"What do we do until then?" she asked. "It's not like we can just leave here. Surely there will be Imperials out looking for us."

"Only if you make enough noise to attract them," Luke said with a smile. "As much as I hate this place, it is my home planet."

"What are you suggesting?" she asked.

"I need to go back to my old home," he said. "My aunt and uncle, who were two of the only family members I actually knew, were murdered. I just want to see the place one last time."

"Of all the things you've come to peace with, not including the revelation that Vader is your father, you still haven't come to terms with the fact that your aunt and uncle were murdered?"

"You'd be surprised at everything I haven't yet dealt with," he said, turning to the controls. "It won't take very long."

Anna sat down beside him, looking out at the vast desert. "It's going to be damn-near-impossible to find this place," she said to herself and glanced over at Luke.

"Not if you know this place as well as I do," he said, and the ship lifted off.

Even though Luke hadn't returned to Tatooine since he had fled from it after the murder of his aunt and uncle, he still knew exactly where the farm was. There was a part of him that was telling him to not lay eyes on it again, and to let the past rest but seeing the destruction of his home had always eaten away at him. _If I hadn't been out that day, I'd be dead as well_, he thought. That thought had always been in the back of his mind, and his heart had always been heavy.

"Did they know?" Anna asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Know what?" he responded quickly.

"About Vader?" she asked.

Luke glanced down momentarily. There was a large part of him that wanted to say no. He wanted to believe that Owen and Beru were fed the same lie. However, there was another part of him that said that they knew.

"I don't think so," he said. From the corner of his eye, he could see that the look on her face was one of disbelief, and he let out a soft sigh. There was no reason for him to lie about it, but he wanted to protect the memory of his aunt and uncle, even if there were times when he was unimpressed with their overprotectiveness.

They reached the farm, and Luke slowly brought the ship down. What he wasn't prepared for was that he was inexplicably calm. He had imagined himself to be anxious over seeing what the farm and turned into, but instead, he felt as though he was back after a long time. He was home.

Anna put her hood up as the two of them walked out of the ship and into the bright light of the morning suns. She felt the heat as soon as she stepped out into the sand. Her heavy boots were not made for the terrain of Tatooine, making walking across it difficult. Still, she felt as though she needed to be there for Luke.  
>The farm looked to be rather aged, which was expected. The moisture towers looked as though they were falling apart, or were barely standing. The Jawas have been through here, she thought. There wouldn't be much left if they had scavenged the place.<p>

Luke looked around at the surrounding area. He felt that at any moment, his aunt and uncle would walk out of the house and greet him, then scold him for going out on his own. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. There were so many memories on this farm, and even though he expressed his discontent toward staying as a farmer instead of joining the rebellion, he still felt as though he didn't fully appreciate the home that he had. Now, his home was uncertain.

Anna walked up behind him, then stopped. She knew that seeing everything for the first time years would be taking its toll on him.

"Holding up okay?" she asked.

Luke opened his eyes and turned his head over his shoulder. "I guess so," he said. "It's just…surreal to be back here and see nothing going on."

Anna dropped her gaze to the sand. She could never sympathize with him. She had never had a place where she could actually call it home, not when it mattered, at least.

He looked out at the landscape one last time before he turned away, then starting walking back to the ship. Anna turned to watch him.

"That's it?" she asked.

"It's all I wanted to see," he said, not turning to look at her. She adjusted her hood and followed him. She seemed to understand that he didn't want to dwell in the past too much. _Maybe my mannerisms are starting to wear off on him_, she thought to herself.

"Luke, wait," she said, right before he entered the ship. He placed his hand on the top part of the door and turned to look at her. Her eyes held his for a moment.

"Isn't there anything else you wanted to see?" she asked.

They flew silently back to the place where they had decided to dock the ship. Anna kept her eyes on Luke, as he seemed to be lost in thought. It couldn't have been easy for him, seeing his destroyed home once again.

However, he was doing a good job of hiding his emotions. She leaned back in her seat and watched as the endless expanse of desert sand and blue sky stretched on in front of them.

* * *

><p>The next morning was the moment that both of them had been waiting on for months. Luke was up before the suns even broke the horizon line, and Anna walked over to him. She would be lying if she said that she wasn't nervous. Even though she knew that she had everything set up for her; her lightsaber skills, Force knowledge, and backup in the form of Luke, she still felt as though more things could go wrong. After all, Leia's attempt had already failed, and the guards would be ready to intercept them.<p>

"You're going to be fine," he said as he put his hood up. "Just stay with me."

Anna nodded and let out a deep exhale. She pulled her hood up over her head and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her lightsaber. "You know where we're going?" she asked.

"Oh yes," Luke said. "And relax. With the two of us, I'm sure they won't try anything."

"You've clearly never had the experiences that others have had," she said, half to herself. She had only been involved with Jabba a few times before, and it was because her life had depended on it. Engaging in smuggling led to some unpleasant encounters.

The two Jedi Knights walked out into the bright morning light of the suns and kept their eyesight directed down. Anna only had a very vague idea as to where she was going, but it was clear that Luke knew the exact route they were to take. Whatever gets us out of this terrible heat the fastest, Anna thought to herself.

They walked in silence. There was a lot on the line with this mission now, especially because nearly all of their friends were in the palace. Not only that, but Anna still wasn't too trusting of Lando yet. She was right to believe this, though; she barely knew him.

"We're here," Luke said, and she looked up to the sight of Jabba's towering palace. The unapproachable metal doors screamed danger at her, but she suppressed the nerves as best as she could.

"Do you want me to get my lightsaber out?" she asked.

"No, keep it hidden," he said. "I'll take care of everything."

Anna nodded and followed behind Luke as he stepped before the door. With a simple motion of his fingers, the door slowly began to rise. It was nothing new to her though she would never have guessed that the very same man who stood un front of her, whom Yoda had told her, had struggled to pull his X-Wing out of the swamps of Dagobah, would be able to lift one of the most indestructible-looking doors that she had seen. He had definitely been practicing, working to master his knowledge of the Force.

They walked into the darkness of the hall, and Anna instantly felt the change in the aura. She tried to keep her negative emotions under control, and fought the urge to grab her lightsaber, but she was struggling with it. Luke could feel it.

Two guards caught sight of the Jedi's walking in the hall and turned to block the way. Luke didn't even seem to be phased by it. Instead, he raised his fingers, pushing each one back against the walls. Anna couldn't help but smile as she walked.

Her head shot up once again when she heard shouting from the lit room at the end of the hall. Her hand flew to her lightsaber, but she felt Luke's own hold her wrist. His message was conveyed silently, and he let go of her hand as soon as the source of the shouting was right in front of them. Anna knew exactly who it was that stood before them. Bib Fortuna, otherwise known to her as Jabba's lapdog.

"I must speak with Jabba," Luke said calmly, but with authority. Bib just shook his head, saying something in Huttese that Anna could only make out as "no". She could understand some Huttese, but the way that Bib was talking made it near-impossible to comprehend. Luke turned slightly to stare directly at Bib.

"You will take me to Jabba now," he said, raising his head slightly.

Bib paused for a moment before turning away. "I will take you to Jabba now," he said. Anna tried to hide the fact that she was impressed with how smoothly Luke was handling everything.

"You serve your master well," Luke said. Bib continued to repeat what Luke said. "And you will be rewarded for it."

The three of them walked into the main audience chamber of the palace, where there were still some beings that were asleep, including Jabba. Under her hood, Anna's eyes rolled. He was unappealing as sin. In front of him lay Leia, chained to the throne. The former princess was trying to hide her emotion at seeing the two Jedi Knights, but Anna could tell that the other girl was happy that they were finally there.

"At last! Master Luke has come to rescue me!" Threepio's voice rang out. She winced at how loud he had to announce their presence. To her surprise, no one had commented about her.

Bib walked over to Jabba, who was startled awake. "Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight," he said, and Jabba furiously barked in Huttese.

"I told you not to admit him!" he shouted, then his huge eyes rested on her. "And who is she?"

Anna turned, keeping her face directed down, but she was watching the gangster slug carefully. Before she could answer, Luke cut in.

"I must be allowed to speak," he said calmly. Bib relayed the message, and the rage the Jabba contained was suddenly unleashed. He threw Bib out of the way.

"You weak-minded fool!" he roared. "He's using an old Jedi mind trick."

Luke just watched Jabba carefully and pulled his hood off. Considering the events of the past year, it was hard to imagine that Luke could now stand in front of one of the most well-known, and frankly dangerous gangsters in the galaxy without faltering once. In order to keep herself calm, Anna had one of her hands resting just above the fold in her cloak where her lightsaber stayed hidden.

"You will bring Captain Solo and the wookie to me," he said in the same calming voice.

"Your mind powers will not work on me, boy," Jabba spat at Luke.

"Nevertheless," Luke responded. "I'm taking Captain Solo, and his friends. You can either profit by this... or be destroyed. It's your choice but I warn you not to underestimate my powers."

Jabba started laughing, and once again, his eyes rested on her. "You," he said to Anna. "I've seen you before."

"I've been seen by many," she snapped back, not being able to keep her voice as calm as Luke was able to.

Jabba laughed again. "You used to smuggle for me," he said. "And now, you associate yourself as a Jedi." He turned to look at Luke, and from behind the throne, Threepio suddenly spoke.

"Master Luke, you're standing on—"

Jabba cut off the droid. "There will be no bargain, young Jedi," he said. "I shall enjoy watching you die."

At that moment, the reference to what Threepio was talking about suddenly dawned on her.

Luke's hand shot out, and a blaster from a nearby guard leaped into his hand, but Jabba had anticipated the move of the Jedi. His arm flailed, and the floor underneath Luke dropped away.

"Luke!" Anna cried out, and went to go jump after him, but was suddenly restrained from behind.

"Get off of me!" she hissed, turning her head to look at the guard holding her. She recognized the face behind the mask, but still fought him. If this plan was to work, she had to sell it.  
>Lando was able to hold her back easily, and she turned to look into the pit that Luke had fallen into. Before she could form the thought, Threepio had spoken the name of the beast.<p>

"The Rancor!"

Landon pulled Anna back behind Jabba's throne, where the two of them could see Luke better, but could talk without being noticed.

"How does this feed into your plan?" she whispered.

"It doesn't," he said. "Don't worry, I'm sure that Luke can get out of this."

An unlucky guard had fallen into the pit with the Jedi, and its screams echoed throughout the audience chamber. The spectators were cheering for the beast to go after the young Jedi, and Anna's hand flew to her lightsaber.

"Don't," Lando said, placing his hand on top of hers. "You won't be able to kill more than three before they shoot you down."

"What do you suggest then?" she asked.

"Give it to me," he said. "Luke has his with Artoo just in case he were to get captured. I suggest you do the same."

Anna, reluctantly, let Land take away her prized weapon, and he hid it. "Don't worry," he said. "Once Luke signals for his lightsaber, I'll get this to you."

"You better," she said. "That's also assuming Luke survives this."

Both turned to watch as Luke was picked up by the beast. He looked to have something his hand, and with a quick motion, he pushed it between the beast's gaping jaws.

He fell from the grasp of the Rancor, hitting the ground with a thud. However, he wasted no time ducking into a crevice in the cave while the beast snapped the bone that held it's jaws apart. It roared, and Anna winced. Although she had faith in Luke to defeat the monster, it had never lost.

It turned to see Luke crouched under the crevice, and went into reach for him. Anna couldn't see what Luke did, but it roared in pain, allowing Luke to run into the next room. For a moment, he disappeared, and the beast followed him slowly, roaring all the same.

_There's no way he can kill this thing_, Anna thought. _He can't run forever._

However, when Luke was back in view again, he seemed to have spotted something. His face turned from incredibly fearful to that of concentration, and he picked a skull up off of the ground and wasted no time. Whatever he was aiming for, the skull hit it, and Anna could only watch as the door that kept the monster at bay slammed down on top of it. It cried out as it came down, and There were stunned cries from around the room as everyone suddenly realized what had just happened. Anna smiled as she saw him heave out a sigh of relief, and glanced over at Leia, who also seemed to be happy. Jabba, however, was not in the same great mood.

Lando moved her over to the other guards, and as soon as the slug caught sight of him, he started barking orders.

"Bring me Solo and the wookie," he said. "They will all pay for this outrage. Including the girl."

Anna sneered at him, but he didn't react. After all, he had other things to be worrying about.

She watched as Lando disappeared to the prison below, and her hands were snapped in binders behind her back. She growled as she turned to see everyone in the audience chamber all moving around frantically. Her eyes rested on Leia, who had her hand on her neck. Clearly, Jabba had no intention on Leia's comfort, but why would he? In the time that Anna had known him, he had been anything but caring. What the gangster didn't realize, was that what he was witnessing was just the tip of the iceberg. Though this wasn't the ideal plan, the exit strategy was still in place, and it didn't end well for anyone in the audience chamber that wasn't a part of the rebellion.

_You have no idea what you're in for now_, she thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay ROTJ finally! Also a chapter that's 3x longer than usual (almost 10 pages on Word)!<strong>  
><strong>Mostly as a thank you for all of the encouragement and sticking with me through my hiatuses, and partially because my dream university accepted me!<strong>


	21. Barge Scrum

The first sight that Anna had of Han was that he didn't look to be the man Leia described. Of course, part of that was being frozen in carbonite for so long, but still, she could tell that there was an impatient aura surrounding him. _Sounds like someone else I know_, she thought.

Han was being dragged across the audience chamber by guards, looking as though he was fighting them a little bit, with the little strength that he had. She was already standing before Jabba, being held by one of the guards rather tightly around her forearms. She was not used to the feeling of being captured, and she hated it. For too long she had felt helpless. Now she stood in front of Jabba, waiting for her sentence. Of course, she wasn't afraid. She knew that Luke had everything planned.

"Han!" Luke's familiar voice rang out behind her.

"Luke!" he returned.

"Are you all right?" Luke asked as he was pushed toward Jabba.

"Fine. Together again, huh?" Han asked.

"Wouldn't miss it."

"How are we doing?"

"Same as always."

"That bad, huh? Where's Leia?"

"I'm here," Leia said curtly, as the two other men and the Wookie were pushed to stand beside Anna. It was clear that Han had not yet noticed her, but she didn't care. They would have plenty of time to get to know each other once Luke followed through with his exit strategy.

Threepio stepped forward to address them while Jabba stared at the captives with amusement. Leia, who was still lying in her uncomfortable position, was also staring at them, but not in the amused way that her proclaimed "master" was, who was petting her with his tail. Instead, she showed visible worry for them. She was not aware that Luke had another plan for them to escape. Only him, Lando, and Anna knew about it.

"His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be terminated… immediately," Threepio said.

"Good, I hate long waits," Han said, and Anna couldn't help but let a small smile emerge. The sarcasm in his voice instantly noticeable, and it made her initial impression of him change a little bit. For someone who thought he was about to die, the humour he found in the situation lightened her mood.

"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc," Threepio continued. Han turned his head slightly to where Luke stood, though his blank eyes were eerily fixed.

"Doesn't sound so bad," he said.

"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years," Threepio concluded. Han quickly made his comment.

"On second thought let's pass on that huh?"

Chewie barked, and Anna just kept her eyes forward, saying nothing.

Luke was not nearly as concerned as Han. "You should have bargained, Jabba," he said, his voice carrying a warning tone. Jabba just laughed at him, and the guards began to drag the captives away.

"That's the last mistakes you'll ever make," he called back as they were pushed away from the audience chamber that was cheering after them.

Anna looked over at Luke, seeing that he was smiling.

"This will end well," she said.

"What? Who's that?" Han said.

"Don't worry about it," Anna said. "It's not like we'll know each other for very long anyway."

"Luke, why didn't you tell me that you brought a girl along?" Han asked.

"Would it make any difference?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, of course," Han said.

"Sure it would, Solo," Anna said.

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

She couldn't help but smile. "Word travels fast, especially when you occasionally partake in smuggling," she said.

"So, you're a smuggler then, hey? Why don't I know you?"

"Occasionally," she said.

"How'd you get caught up with this newly-proclaimed Jedi Knight, then?"

"Because I'm one myself."

Han scoffed. "I'm frozen for a year, and all of this happens?"

"Time must fly when you're in stasis."

Han didn't respond, but he liked the fiery attitude that this girl was showing.

"I'd say 'hold onto this one', but not considering the situation," Han said to Luke, who just grinned. Anna didn't say anything either way.

* * *

><p>Three ships floated above the endless sand dunes of Tatooine. The largest ship, Jabba's sail barge, flanked by two skiffs, was where Leia stood, watching her friends standing on the skiff. Jabba tugged her chain mockingly, and she turned gaze sharply at him. He was only amused at her reaction, and she turned back to watch the skiff.<p>

None of the captives were moving very much, just looking out over the Dune Sea. Anna's long hair whipped around, and she glanced over at Lando, who stood just off to the side, still in disguise.

"I think my eyes are getting better," Han said, blinking. "Instead of a big dark blur I see a big light blur."

Luke smirked. "There's nothing to see," he said. "I used to live here, you know."

"You're going to die here you know," Han responded. "Convenient."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Just stick close to Chewie and Lando," he said, and turned to look out over the sand again. "I've taken care of everything."

"Oh, great," Han said. It was clear that the smuggler was not very trusting of whatever Luke was alluding to. Anna just smiled to herself, thankful that Luke still had a plan.

"And what about you, girlie?" he asked, and Anna turned to look at him.

"What about me?" she asked.

"What's your master plan?"

"Nothing," she said. _Han, I swear if you blow my cover I'm going to strangle you as you fall into the pit_, she thought to herself. Luke only grinned.

They suddenly stopped at a deep sand pit, and Anna cringed as she saw what was named as the Sarlacc. All she could see was the thousands of teeth that lined the walls of the pit, but she knew that whatever was at the bottom was probably not any more appealing.

One of the guards pushed Luke forward, unclasping his bonds and out onto a plank that extended over the sand pit. The Sail Barge had also halted, and Anna looked over at it. You really have no idea what's coming for you, she thought, thinking of the slug that lay inside.

Luke rubbed his wrists as he looked over the edge of the pit and at the monster that nested in the sand. He made a face of disgust, and glanced up at the Sail Barge, waiting. Anna glanced back at Lando, who placed his hand over the fold in the uniform that kept her lightsaber hidden. She turned back to face the Sail Barge, not having any interest in look down into the pit. Threepio's voice suddenly rang out from the ship through a com-link.  
>"Victims of the almighty Sarlacc: His Excellency hopes that you will die honourably," the droid said. "But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Jabba the Hutt will now listen to your pleas."<p>

Han stepped forward, holding himself in a rather arrogant position, and threw his head back.

"Threepio!" he shouted. "You tell that slimy piece of worm-ridden filth, that he'll get no such pleasure from us!" He turned to look over at Chewie. "Right?"

The Wookie growled in agreement. Luke, however, also had something to say.

"Jabba!" he called out. "This is your last chance. Free us, or die."

Anna could hear the laughter of the Sail Barge as Luke's words rang out. She just shook her head. They had no idea what was coming.

"Move him into position," Jabba said, still chuckling to himself.

One guard pushed Luke in the back, and he walked forward to the edge of the plank. He only looked over at Lando once and nodded before turning to face in front of him. The way he was standing exuded confidence, something that Anna had not seen from him in a long time. Luke gave a salute to the Sail Barge, and Anna glanced up. From the rail at the top, she could see the top of the dome of Artoo's head, and smiled.

"Put him in," Jabba said.

Luke didn't waste any time and jumped from the plank. There were triumphant cheers that sounded from the Barge, but they were silenced a seance later. Luke twisted around in midair, trapped the edge of the plank, which bent considerably under his weight, then catapulted him up into the air. He flipped up onto the deck of the skiff, and held his arm out. His lightsaber fell directly into his palm, and he wanted no time in igniting it and swinging at the guards. Anna raced over to Lando, who was standing at the back of the skiff.

"Right on time," he said, using his weapon to cut through her bonds. She smiled as he handed her the prized weapon she loved.

She nodded to him and ignited the double blades behind her. One guard rushed at her, and she swung the two blades around, catching the guard easily, sending him into the pit of the waiting beast below.

Luke was busy freeing Han and Chewie from their bonds, and with the other skiff bearing down on them, Anna decided that it was time to act. She ran to the front of the prisoner's skiff and blocked the majority of the blaster fire that was sent their way. However, she didn't take into account that there was a gunman on the deck of the Sail Barge, and with one shot, it hit the skiff, sending her falling to the deck. A little bit stunned, she was slow to get to her feet. This was, after all, her first true lightsaber fight.

Behind her, she heard frantic cries for help, and they didn't belong to any of Jabba's minions. She glanced around the deck quickly, seeing no sigh of their disguised guard. "Lando?" she called.

"I've got it," Han called to her. "Go help Luke!"

She didn't need to be told twice. Luke was facing off against the bounty hunter whose name she knew all too well, Boba Fett. She instead decided to focus her energy on the other skiff, who was still firing at them. The canon on the balcony was too strong for her to block, even with her saberstaff.

As she was hurrying across the deck again, the skiff took another direct hit, and her step faltered, but she was able to stay standing and block a shot that was aimed right at her. She spun the sober around in her hand and leaped across the gap. In that moment, she knew that she had to believe that she was ready for this. This battle, how to wield, how to avoid, how to attack. Everything was laid out for her, she just needed to utilize it.

The guards on the other skiff ran at her, but with her saberstaff, it was near-impossible to get out of the way. Behind her, she heard Luke also jump up onto the skiff. She kph the blades moving constantly, her fingers twisting the hilt around as fast as she could, hoping to hit one of the guards in the process. Her other hand was switching off, trying to seem as unpredictable as possible.

Luke quickly moved to the other end of the skiff and began taking out the rest of the guards. The white and green flashes of light seemed to compliment each other nicely, and within moments, the skiff was free of guards.

"Stay here, help Lando," he said. "I'm going on the Barge."

She nodded and turned in time to see another direct hit on the opposite skiff. The rope that Lando was holding onto broke, and Han was barely staying on the skiff himself. Chewie, who was visibly wounded, grabbed hold of Han's feet and held him. She jumped across onto the skiff again, and dissented her lightsaber. At the same time, Han was holding a blaster up, aimed at the tentacle of the Sarlacc who was starting to drag Lando into the pit. She winced as Han fired, but the smuggler's aim was better than she had expected, and the Sarlacc withdrew itself instantly.  
>"Chewie, Pull us up!" Han called to the wookie. "Come on! Okay, up, Chewie, up!"<p>

The wounded Wookie started to pull the two smugglers on board the skiff. She knelt beside the wookie.

"You okay, Chewie?" she asked, and got a pained roar in response. He managed to pull Han up on board, and she offered her hand to Lando, who was still holding on for dear life. He reached for it, and together, the wookie and the Jedi Knight pulled Lando up onto the deck of the skiff, panting heavily.

He sat up. "You've got some skill with that thing," he said, gesturing to the lightsaber that she was holding. She just smiled.

"I'm not near as good as I had thought," she said. "This battle was harder than I thought it would be."

"Where's Luke?" Han asked.

"On the Sail Barge," she answered. "Come on, let's get ready to get out of here."

Suddenly, Anna winced and squeezed her lightsaber tightly. Luke had just been struck.

"Are you okay?" Han asked.

"Yeah, fine," she said. "Luke just got hit."

"You can feel it?" he asked.

"I'm a Jedi for a reason," she said, straightening up and looking bucket the Barge. Luke was swinging over with Leia in his arms.

"Let's go, and don't forget the droids," Luke said, landing with a bit of flair.

Lando, who was now standing, smiled at him. "We're on our way," he said. The Sail Barge was beginning to explode, and Anna grinned. _And that is why you don't underestimate the underdogs_, she thought.

Lando steered the skiff over to where Threepio's legs were sticking out from the sand, and Artoo's periscope was also above the sand. The skiff lowered two electromagnets to the sand, and began to pull the droids up. Anna held onto the rail as the skiff sped away from the exploding Sail Barge. She turned to look over at Luke.

"I'm sure that could've gone a lot smoother than it was," she said.

"It worked," he said. "After all, that's all you wanted from me, isn't it?"

She smiled, turning away from him. "Sure," he responded. "I did learn one thing, though."

"What's that?" he asked.

"I'm not nearly as good at combat than I thought I was," she said.

"You'll get better," he said. "You just need to figure out your style."

Anna smiled, glancing down at her saberstaff. It was definitely tough to wield properly, considering the range on it, and that when she twisted it around, there was the fear of hitting someone innocent that happened to be standing too close, or herself, which she was worried about. She could hold the saber with two hands, but it would be more difficult to maneuver around. As if he knew what she was thinking, Luke placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't get style points when you're fighting for your life," he said with a smile, and she just grinned at him.

"Maybe you can help me out," she said.

"If we have the time," he responded.

* * *

><p>One thing that Tatooine was known for was its powerful sandstorms. After a long fight that did not go as planned, all the others wanted to do was to get back to the ships and get off of the desert planet. However, sandstorms didn't wait for anyone.<p>

Artoo and Threepio led the way, with Han, Leia, and Anna walking behind, followed by Luke and Lando, who were helping Chewie limp along the sand. The wind was blowing so hard that they had to shout to be heard, and Anna had been tuning them out most of the time, however, she couldn't ignore it when Han answered a question that she didn't hear.

"I don't know. All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!" he yelled, most likely to Leia.

"That's all any of us can see," she responded to him, and Anna grinned to herself. Leia was on the opposite side of Han, with Anna on the other side. They were both guiding him.

"Then I guess I'm getting better," he said, blinking.

The ships were visible in the distance, and they all huddled underneath the Falcon, which blocked the wind a little bit. Threepio activated the gang-plank started to lower.

"I've got to hand it to you kid, you were pretty good out there," Han said, turning to Luke.

"I had a lot of help," Luke responded. "Think nothing of it."

"No, I'm thinking a lot about it," Han said. "That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is, and it wasn't just sleepin'. It was a big wide awake nothing!"

Chewie growled in an affectionate tone to Luke, who smiled at him. The wookie ruffled the Jedi Knight's hair, and Leia walked over to him, giving him a hug.

"I'll see you back at the fleet," Luke said and turned to go to his ship. Anna didn't say anything to him, or make a move. She was still wary of her feelings, even though they were undeniable. It was no time to engage in any relationship right now, especially with the Empire gaining more and more ground. Not to mention that Luke was the main man they were after, and if she got caught up with him, her name would be all over the Imperial's most wanted list, if it wasn't already there.

Anna watched as Luke walked over to his X-wing, which had been waiting for him while they had prepared themselves before they went into Jabba's palace. He turned back to nod at her with his usual smile, and she just gave him a small smile in return.

"You okay?" a rough voice asked, from behind her, and she turned to see Lando standing behind her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said, pulling her cloak around her tighter. "Let's just get out of here."

Lando nodded, and the two walked up the gang-ramp and into the Falcon. Behind her, she heard Luke firing up his X-wing, and she caught one final glimpse of it before the gang-plank started to raise.

* * *

><p><strong>Second update in three days? I've hit a creative patch, probably because of NaNo withdrawals. Anyway, we're now in Part II of this story, which is probably super exciting, because now we start the real action between Anna and Luke. Chapters will also be longer, probably around this length. I'll try to catch as many errors as I can before updating (Scrivener really doesn't like some of the Star Wars vocab and autocorrects it, so it's difficult to catch everything), but I try to skim it at least twice before updating.<strong>

**Hope you all liked this chapter!**


	22. Times Past

The rendez-vous point was located above Sullust, and as Luke broke away from the _Falcon_, his voice rang clear on the comlink.

"I'll meet you back at the fleet," he said. Leia was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, as Chewie was in the back of the ship nursing his wound. Lando sat in the pilot's seat in front of Anna and Han.

"Hurry," she said. "The Alliance should be assembled by now."

"I will," he said.

"Hey, Luke, thanks," Han said, leaning forward in his chair. "Thanks for comin' after me. Now I owe you one."

Even though she wanted to say something, Anna said nothing. Her silence was only starting the circulation of thoughts in Han's head, and as soon as Luke switched off the comlink, he was ready to start bombarding her with questions.

"You seem to already know my name," he said.

"When you're the one frozen in carbonite, you'd be surprised as to how much you hear about that person," she said. "But, I suppose that I should tell you my name to even the tables. I'm Anna."

Han raised his eyebrow. "That's it?" he asked. "Just Anna?"

"It's what most people call me," she said. "It's a shortened name, but that's all you need to know."

Han smiled and leaned back in his chair. "So you smuggled then, eh?" he asked.

"Only when I had to," she said. "Flying endlessly through the galaxy doesn't pay very much."

"So how did you get caught up with the kid?" he asked. Anna smiled, knowing exactly who he was referring to.

"I had to make an emergency landing on Dagobah when he was there," she said. "He found me when I was on the edge of death, and during the week that I was there, I learned that I was Force sensitive, so the Jedi master there instructed both of us. However, we didn't get far far in the training before Vader had set his trap." Anna looked over at him. "Luke was so frantic to get to Cloud City as fast as he could, and I had to go with him. The rest is history."

Han looked out the windows of the _Falcon_, enjoying finally being able to see his ship. "Are you involved?" he asked.

"Absolutely not," Anna answered, knowing exactly what Han was hinting at. He smiled.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Han, stop," Leia said from in front.

"No, it's fine," Anna said. "I don't because of my own personal reasons. I've not had the best experiences with man in the past, not to mention that this time in the war is critical. I don't need to be caught up in my own personal feelings."

"Not even just a little bit?" Han asked, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was looking straight ahead at Leia. "Sometimes, all you need is a good night with someone to unwind."

"Not in your life, Solo," Leia warned, but Anna could see the former princess grinning to herself.

* * *

><p>The Alliance had set up a staging area to keep its relatively small fleet, but they wouldn't be staying on the surface of the planet. Instead, they'd be on the <em>Home One<em>, the Alliance's monster headquarter frigate. Anna had never seen it before, and once she walked out of the _Falcon_ and laid eyes on it for the first time, she was in awe. She had seen ships of its class before, but never before had she been up close to one, let alone inside. Leia looked over at the other girl and smiled.

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Leia asked.

"That's an understatement," Anna answered as they walked over to the ramp of the _Falcon_. There were already quite a few members of the Alliance flocking around the ship, walking into it while talking among themselves.

They had landed in one of the bays of the ship, and the Falcon took up a lot of room inside. The only other ship that was noticeable was an Imperial shuttle, and Anna eyed it carefully. She had known why it was there, but it still looked very out of place among the fleet of Rebel ships.

"Once we get in there, go to the left," Leia said. "There's a room there, for us to talk."

Anna nodded, but she was confused. Why did Leia wasn't to talk? Was it something to do with Luke? Was it something else altogether? She had no way of knowing what the former princess' motives were.

The two girls walked into the ship, and as Leia instructed, they dipped off to the left. The meeting was to happen several hours from now, which allowed them to recover and rest for a while. However, judging by the way Leia walked, with her head high and an air of power to her, Anna knew that rest would not happen anytime soon. One thing that she had learned about the former princess was that she was impatient, and that to pass the time, she needed something to do, or to talk about. Now, Anna was going to be that outlet.

Leia walked in front, and turned toward a shut door with a keypad. She quickly typed in a code, and pushed the door open. Anna walked in, seeing that it too was like the inside of the medical frigate, white. Why does everything have to be stark white? She thought to herself. It reminded her too much of control, of blankness. The Empire already had the alternative.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" she asked.

"You're twenty one, correct?" she asked.

"Yes," Anna responded. Her hands were inside the pockets of her cloak, watching Leia carefully.

"Then you would've only known what we live in now," she said. "You wouldn't have known much about Order 66."

"Just from what I've been told," Anna said. "I was born not long after it though. About a year later, what the galaxy was still in turmoil. At least, more than it is now. They were still trying to figure everything out. It marked the beginning of the Jedi Purge, which ended after nearly nineteen years."

"Did that Jedi Master you went to go visit, did he tell you anything?" Leia asked.

"Yes," Anna said. "Why do you need to know?"

"I worry for you, and for Luke," Leia said. "You two are in so much danger now, more than I thought at first. For all we know, you could be the last Jedi Knights left alive."

"We'll be all right," Anna said. "The two of us can take care of ourselves. Just worry about the future."

Leia sighed. "Remember when you were out training?" she asked. Anna nodded. How could she forget?

"I was worried," she said. "I was worried that you wouldn't come back. Not because you would choose not to, but rather, you'd be killed. Your ship would get shot down, the Empire would intercept you, that sort of thing. Luke was much more worried than I was, but I guess that's understandable." She sighed, crossing the room. It was a small living space, obviously meant for highly-respected crew, but it was empty. After all, Leia did rank fairly high in the Alliance and could probably get away with having her own private quarters. Anna just watched, not making a move in any way.

"What do you mean, it makes sense?" she asked, watching as the former princess sat down on the couch at the back of the room. Leia untied her long hair, running her fingers through it.

"You told me that you had feelings for Luke," she said. "He shared them. I'm not blind to what love looks like."

"It's hardly love," Anna said. "Just an attraction." A fatal attraction, but she didn't vocalize that part.

"Tell me something," Leia said. "What are you afraid of with him?"

Anna sighed. "I don't need to be caught up in those feelings when w— the Alliance, is at such a critical moment in the war," she said. Leia noted the stutter in the other girl's voice, but didn't say anything.

"I was once afraid," Leia said. "Han and I were in a similar position, emotionally, that is, and I was almost ready to give up on him. However, the Alliance leader, Mon Mothma, who you will meet during the briefing, told me something that I will never forget. She said 'Don't deny yourself another chance at love because of what the Empire did to them. Don't give Palpatine that victory, too.' She was telling me to not give up on my love for Han. If you give up on your love for Luke, Palpatine will have won another battle, one that we can no longer afford to keep losing." She paused. "Now, I have Han back, and Luke is still here. Granted, he is in danger, as are you, but the two of you need to make it clear that Palpatine will not claim another victory because of your fear that you will become distracted." She stood up, and Anna looked to be lost in thought. She had relaxed, considerably, and Leia knew that something had finally gotten through to the young Jedi Knight.

"That's all I wanted to say," she said, and smiled. Anna raised her eyes, and nodded.

"How much time until the briefing?" she asked.

"Several hours," Leia said. "Try to get some rest."


	23. Planning

Rest evaded the young girl as she lay on the couch. Her eyes were closed, but her mind refused to shut off. Leia's words were eating away at the young girl. Even though she definitely needed the rest, she couldn't bring herself to fall into sleep. She lay on her side on the couch, her hair falling around her neck and along her shoulders. Once in a while, she'd open her eyes, only to see that nothing had changed. She felt as though she was in a stasis, coming off of the adrenaline highs of Tatooine. However, the only thing she could think about was Luke.

He didn't have much time to waste. The window was not that big, and Anna had no idea how much training he had left, and if it were to take any longer, he would not be able to come the mission. She was torn over what to do. She did not believe very much in what Yoda had told her about the Jedi restrictions. As far as she was concerned, the Jedi restrictions were no longer valid because of the circumstance they found themselves in. It wasn't really that she thought she would be distracted. It was because of her greatest fear.

One of the things she had learned to overcome was attachment. In her past, she had never really had much to live for, and anything that she had found herself growing attached to, she always lost. Luke was no exception. He was Palpatine's main objective, and Anna knew that if she was associated with him, she was putting herself in danger as well. If she could, she would leave, and be away from Luke. She was not protecting him, at least in her view.

However, what Leia had told her, about Han, was what was keeping her awake. Even though they weren't Leia's words, they were Mon Mothma's, there was a valid point. If she gave up on Luke because of the Empire, Palpatine would have claimed a major victory, one not decided by two sides. Instead, it would be evidence of the Rebels starting to turn on each other. He would take those victories all day long.

* * *

><p>Sleep finally came to her, but she was only able to sleep for a few hours before she was awoken again. Leia was already up, and pacing. Anna sat up and stretched. "How long?" she asked. Leia turned.<p>

"About an hour," she said. "Why?"

Anna stood up. "Just wanted to know how much time I can spend in the refresher."

Leia smiled. "Don't be lagging," she warned. "Mon Mothma is not the kind of person to take to late newcomers very kindly."

"I'm sure I can handle her," Anna said as she walked to the back of the room.

* * *

><p>The briefing room of the <em>Home One<em> was filled with hundreds of Rebel commanders, from all different races. Everyone looked to be in much better spirits after returning from Tatooine, most notably, Han. Luke was still not there.

Anna and Leia walked into the room, seeing that Han and Chewie were already sitting down, waiting for the briefing to start. Anna walked over to them, smiling as she drew her dark cloak in around her. Han watched her carefully as she sat down beside him.

"You wear that thing all day?" he asked.

"It's comfortable," she answered. "Also, it's what the old Jedi used to wear, though theirs were always brown. I still need to blend in a little bit."

Han shook his head. "I will never understand you or Luke," he said. "But I guess that's what makes you perfect for each other."

Anna just turned away. "You have no idea," she said. Beside Han, Chewie gave a little growl. Although she couldn't understand Chewie, she could understand the basics of what he was saying.

"Exactly, Chewie," she said with a smile. She scared the room, searching for a familiar face. There was one that she had never met before, but she knew exactly who it was. Slowly, she stood up and made her way over to him.

"You must be Wedge," she said as she approached. The pilot turned to her.

"That I am," he said. "Who are you? I've never seen you here before."

"I'm a… friend of Luke's," she said. "Anna."

"Nice to meet you," he said. "If you know Luke, you must know of his training, then?"

"Oh, I know all about it," she said. "I'm a knight myself."

Wedge was clearly impressed. "You don't look like one," he said. "But then again, Luke doesn't really look like it either."

"You're just not used to them," she said with a smile, and he smiled back. "Luke's told me about your flight skills."

"He would be one to do that," Wedge responded. "He's not to shabby himself."

Anna smiled. "I know," she said. "I've experienced it firsthand."

"You fly at all?"

"Used to."

"Why not anymore?"

"I don't have a ship anymore."

"What happened to it?"

Anna kept her voice hushed. "I crash landed on Dagobah," she said. "It's how I met Luke, actually. He saved my life. I was probably only a few hours away from death when he found me."  
>Wedge nodded, clearly unsure as to what to say. He then turned to the front of the room. Anna turned as well, to see a beautiful woman standing at the front of the room, conversing with some high-ranking military generals.<p>

"Mon Mothma," Wedge said. "She's the Alliance leader."

"So I've heard," she responded, then caught Lando walking through the crowd. She turned to look at Wedge again. "Good luck."

"Same to you," he said with a smile, and she turned to walk back to where Leia, Han, Chewie, and the droids all stood. Han smiled as he saw Lando walking over, sporting a brand new insignia on his chest.

"Well look at you, a general, huh?" Han asked. Lando was smiling as well as the two old friends talked.

"Oh, well, someone must have told them about my little maneuver at the battle of Taanab," Lando responded. Anna sat dow beside Leia, who was listening to them talk.

"Well, don't look at me, pal, I just said you were a fair pilot," Han said, his sarcasm not going unnoticed. "I didn't know they were lookin' for somebody to lead this crazy attack."

"I'm surprised they didn't ask you to do it," Lando said with a smile.

"Well, who says they didn't, but I ain't crazy," Han said, sitting down. "You're the respectable one, remember?"

At the front of the room, Mom Mothma signalled for attention. Everyone fell silent, watching her. Even though she was very beautiful, her aura was very stern, and Anna was impressed.

"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come," she said, looking out over the room. There was a notable stir in the room, but Anna kept her eyes forward, eager to know what was going on. In front of the Alliance leader, a hologram of the new Death Star, surrounded by a deflector shield, and the moon known as Endor, began to revolve.

"The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station," she continued. "We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the construction of this Death Star."

Everyone in the room seemed to be engaged at that moment, and began to talk in amazement. Chewie barked, but Anna didn't move. There was another reason that the Emperor was overseeing the construction of the battle station. She looked out of the room to one of the small windows of the outside corridor. Palatine knew that there were two people that know stood in his way on the other side, and they were powerful enough to overthrow the Empire. Anna turned back toward Mon.

"Many Bothans died, to bring us this information," she said, her voice carrying a mournful hint. She then turned away from the room. "Admiral Ackbar, please."

Admiral Ackbar stepped forward to the hologram in front of him, pointing at it.

"You can see here the Death Star orbiting the forest Moon of Endor. Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism." He took in a breath before he continued. "It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest Moon of Endor. The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted." The hologram turned to one that displayed the Death Star, and the plan of attack. "Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor."  
>The room once again began to vibrate with the sounds of concerned voices.<p>

"General Calrissian has volunteered to lead the fighter attack," Ackbar continued. Han glanced up at his old friend with respect.

"Good luck," he said.

Lando turned and nodded to him in thanks. Han made a sarcastic face, but kept his voice serious.

"You're gonna need it," he said.

"General Madine," Ackbar said, and stepped away for the hologram, while the general walked up to take his place.

"We have stolen a small Imperial shuttle," he began. "Disguised as a cargo ship, and using a secret Imperial code, a strike team will land on the moon, and deactivate the shield generator."

The room began to talk once again, but this time, those around her were a part of it.

"Sounds dangerous," Threepio said in his usual cautious tone.

"I wonder who they found to pull that off," Leia said to Han, but didn't look over at him.

"General Solo, is your strike team assembled?" Madine asked, looking right at Han.

Leia looked at him, a startled expression on her face. Anna too looked surprised. It wasn't like Han had been out of carbon freeze for very long, but he seemed to ignore the stares.

"My team's ready; I don't have a command crew for the shuttle," he said. Beside him, Chewie raised his paw with a little growl. Han looked over at him, lowering his voice.

"Well, it's gonna be rough, pal; I didn't want to speak for you," Han said. Chewie just growled, and Han smiled, turning back to face Madine. "That's one."

"Uh General," Leia said, grabbing Han's shoulder. "Count me in." She was smiling, and Anna too raised her hand to volunteer.

"I'm with you too!" a voice called from outside of the room. Everyone turned to see a young man in black walking out from the corridor and into the briefing room. There were some cheers, and Leia stood up, walking over to him and hugging him with a smile. Han too looked delighted to see the young Jedi.

Leia pulled back from him and her expression changed from one of happiness to one of concern. "What is it?" she asked.

"Ask me again sometime," he said, his voice hushed.

Han, Chewie and Anna stood up, walking over to Luke as the assembly began to stand up.

"Luke!" Han said, smiling.

"Hi Han," Luke responded. "Chewie."

Behind her, Artoo beeped, and Anna looked back at the two droids, smiling.

"'Exciting' is hardy the word I would use," Threepio said, and Anna smiled, turning back to Luke. He caught her gaze, and jerked his head over to the right, subtly. She nodded back to him, and turned to Leia. "I'll meet up with you in a while," she said, and Leia smiled.

"Unfinished business?" she asked.

"Something like that," Anna said, and watched as Luke walked out into the corridor. "I just need a minute to let everything sink in."

"Alright," Leia said. "Meet us at the docking bay in an hour. We should be ready to go by then."

"Sounds good," Anna said.

"Hey, Anna," Han said, stopping her. She turned to face him.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he said.

"I know," she said. "But I'm not going to stay here while you have all the fun, am I?"

Han smiled at her. "I like you," he said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Just don't be late; I'm not waiting for you!"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm now on Christmas Break, which means I have some more time to write between doing some studying for my January exams. I've been trying to get these updates out quick, at least one per week, since we're getting close to my favourite part.<strong>

**The next part should be out tomorrow, since it's short, but it's a scene I've wanted to include ever since I started this story.**


	24. Before the Forest Moon

Below the _Home One_, the crest of the planet Sullust was visible from the windows. Off to the side of one of the corridors was a small room that overlooked the endless starscape, and the dark blue and orange colours of the planet below. Anna sat inside of the large window frame, which extended from the ceiling to the floor. Her boots were pushing on the wall in front of her, and she was looking out over the view while twisting her lightsaber in her hand.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a voice asked from behind her. She turned her head slowly to see Luke standing in the back of the dimly-lit room.

"Yeah," she said, watching him as he slowly walked over to her. When he got closer, she could see the conflicting emotions on his face, and stood up. Obviously, what Leia had noticed in the briefing room had not yet faded.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked, standing up so she could see him better.

"Master Yoda," Luke said. "He's gone."

At first, the emotion she felt was denial. "What do you mean, 'he's gone'?" she asked, but it was clear by her tone that the question was rhetorical. "He can't be. He's the only Jedi Master left…"

"I saw it myself," Luke said, keeping his voice soft. "He was very old, and sick. He knew it was his time."

Anna dropped her gaze, turning away from Luke. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"He told me that my training is complete," Luke said. "But that there is one more thing I must do before I am a Jedi."

"And what's that?" she asked, turning towards him.

"I must face my father again," he said, and that was enough to make her turn around.

"You've accepted that _he_ is you father?" she asked.

"Ben told me, after Yoda had passed," he said. "It's true. Vader is my father, Anakin Skywalker, after he was seduced by the dark side. He was once that man, and I believe that there is still good in him because of it."

Anna watched him, leaning against the wall beside her, crossing her arms. "I doubt that, with all of the death and destruction he has brought upon the galaxy, he could ever be redeemed," she said. "I have never known a time when he wasn't terrorizing the innocent."

"I felt it in him," Luke said. "Ben said the same thing that you are saying, that he cannot return to the light side, but what I felt was true. I believe I can do it."

Anna reattached her lightsaber back to her belt and looked at him. "You are not risking your life for him," she said.

"I have to," he responded, placing his arm above against the wall. Only then did she realize how close they were.

"There's something else, isn't there?" she asked.

"That's for another time," he said. "Just as you said there was another time to tell me the rest of you backstory."

She turned away from him and walked to the other side of the room. "If I were to tell you, you would do anything to try and change it," she said, and slowly turned her head over her shoulder to look at him. "Just as you are now. You can't change the past, Luke. Not mine, not Vader's, not yours. What has happened is over."

She turned back to look at the wall in front of her, not wanting to be disturbed at that moment. It had been something that had irritated her about Luke ever since her first impression of him. His humility always overpowered him, even when it wasn't desired.

"I can't change the past, you're right," he said from behind her, and she could hear him moving closer. "What I can do is have a role in the future of my father's life, and in yours. I want my father to be able to come back to the light side, and I want you to be able to live without fear. I can sense that you're always afraid, and it's because of your past."

She turned to face him, and directed her gaze down at the polished floor. "Don't try to," she said. "What I fear is that my past life will return to me. You realize that I have nowhere to go after this war is complete, right? I have no ship, no home."

"But you can choose to create that for yourself," Luke said. He had once again moved closer than she would've liked, and she backed up. However, the wall behind her rushed up to meeting her faster than she wanted. Slowly, he placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her. She raised her chin, trying not to back down, but she had been in too many unpleasant encounters before to keep herself looking strong.

"I can help you if you'd let me," he said, and she didn't move. "You just need to stop blocking everyone out."

"I've been hurt before, Luke," she said, her voice faltering slightly. The hadn't been in such close contact with each other since their mock battle a few months ago.

"But if you would let me in, I can help you get past whatever you're facing," he said. "We don't have much time left, and as far as we know, we won't make it off of Endor. This is our last chance to be alone, and it might be your last chance to open up to me."

She shut her eyes in anticipation, but was surprised when she felt Luke move away. "But you won't," he said.

She opened her eyes slowly, watching him as he walked back to the window, his hands behind his back. She let out a sigh, and clutched her cloak._ Come on, you can do this_, she thought to herself.

"You know, when I was talking with Leia, she told me something," she began. "She told me how Mon Mothma told her not to give up on her love for Han. That if Leia was to give it up because of fear for the Empire, Palpatine would claim that victory." Luke turned to face her as she walked behind him. "I'm trying to figure out what I want, but I'm not sure yet."

"I'll help you with that," he said, and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. She was a little bit startled by the sudden movement, but she let her arms fall around his neck and rested her head against the side of his face. It had been months since she had been held by anyone, and it felt nice to finally have that feeling back.

In that moment, she felt safe.

Luke was the one who pulled his face back. "Han's not kidding about leaving us behind," he said with a smile. "We should probably get going."

She smiled at him, letting her arms fall from around his neck, and nodded.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything."

He pulled her up against him once again, placing a light kiss to her cheek. "It's a start," he said. "Once we're on the shuttle, how about you and I practice those lightsaber skills?"

She grinned to herself, wrapping her arms around his neck again. "That sounds fantastic," she said, and shut her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>As promised, here's the new chapter. I've always wanted to write this scene from the beginning, and now I'm so happy that I did. Probably my last update before Christmas, so happy holidays!<strong>


	25. Departure

"Look, I want you to take her," Han said to Lando, both of whom were standing in the docking bay. "I mean it. Take her. You need all the help you can get. She's the fastest ship in the fleet."

"All right, old buddy," Lando said, holding up his hands. "You know, I know what she means to you. I'll take good care of her. She-she won't get a scratch. All right?"

"Right," Han said. There was part of him that seemed to be a little bit hesitant to give his prized ship to Lando, but there wasn't anyone else he could trust with it. After all, Lando was a general, and the leader of the assault, for a reason. "I got your promise now, not a scratch."

Lando smiled. "Look, would you get going you pirate," he said, waving Han off.

They both paused for a moment, and Lando saluted him. "Good luck," he said, and Han returned the salute.

"You too," he said, then walked up the ramp of the shuttle.

The Tydirium looked incredibly out of place in the docking bay, and those within it felt the same way. It was odd being inside of an Imperial shuttle and not being held against their wills inside. Already, the homeliness feeling of the Falcon was missed.

Anna and Leia were in the hold, while Luke was working on the control panel near his seat. Chewie was sitting in the copilot's seat, obviously not thrilled with the Imperial controls.

"Did he tell you anything?" Leia asked, lightly grabbing Anna's elbow. The other girl turned to look at the former princess.

"Yeah, but it's not of any concern," Anna replied. "It won't have any affect on the outcome of this battle, that's all."

Leia was not satisfied with the answer, but she didn't press for more. Anna did not want to talk about the death of Yoda, who had held a special place in her heart.

At that moment, Han walked up into the shuttle, and turned to go into the cockpit.

"You got her warmed?" he asked as he sat down next to Chewie.

"Yeah, she's coming up," Luke responded, still working on the control panel for a few more seconds before settling down. Chewie growled to Han, still trying to figure out the controls.

"No I don't think the Empire had wookies in mind when they designed 'er, Chewie," Han said, and both of the girls walked into the cockpit. Leia sat near Luke, while Anna settled into the nearest seat. She was trying to get into a meditation phase in order to calm her nerves. After all, what had just happened with Luke, she was still trying to settle down.

"Hey, are you awake?" Leia asked, and Anna looked up, but saw that the question was not directed to her. Instead, Leia was leaning over in her seat, asking Han.

"Yeah, I just got a funny feeling," he said. "Like I'm not gonna see her again."

Leia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come on General, let's move," she said.

Han blinked a few times and nodded. "Right," he said. "Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do. Ready, everybody?"

"All set," Luke responded.

"Here we go again," Threepio said, his voice carrying the usually dreading tone in it. Anna rolled her eyes, but said nothing.

"All right, hang on," Han said, and the ship lifted off, out of the docking bay and into space.

Everyone was silent on the flight to the Death Star and the forest moon. Anna had descended into a meditative state, something that she had been able to get to faster when she felt the familiar feeling of traveling at light speed. Her eyes were closed, and for a moment, she felt emotionless. Considering what had just happened, she needed to escape.

* * *

><p><em>"You come here often?" the man across from her asked.<em>

_"None of your concern," she said, bringing the drink up to her lips, but kept her dark eyes trained on him._

_"Secretive," he said, clutching his own glass. "I like that."_

_He smiled, but she didn't return it back to him. This was strictly business, as far as she knew._

_"The Imperial's make any new advances?" she asked, taking a sip of the strong alcohol before setting it down on the table in front of her._

_"Not really," he said. "It's been pretty dull. The Rebellion has clearly found a nice hiding spot, but I hope that they know how many we're killing."_

_Anna winced. "I wish you wouldn't phrase it like that," she said._

_"What's wrong with it?" he asked, his voice getting darker. "It's the truth."_

_"I know," she said. "But still, it's not like I don't know what you're doing. Anyway, what did you call me here for? What do you need?"_

_"Well, I know that you're a neutral party in this war," the man said, and she watched his unchanging face. Even with the alcohol, it was clear that he was not giving anything away._

_"What's your point?" she asked, taking hold of her drink again._

_"Clearly, you must get lonely on those long flights," he said, dropping his voice._

_"Absolutely not," she said, standing up. "As an Imperial, you should know better than to associate with those not of your allegiance."_

_"I could always bring you to my side," he said, standing up and taking hold of her elbow. She pulled away instantly._

_"I don't want to be fueling your desire," she said, and backed away from him._

_"But you already are, Anna," he called after her, and she shook her head, pulling her hood up, walking out of the bar and into the usual traffic of Coruscant's Undercity._

* * *

><p>The jolt of slowing down from light speed pulled Anna out of her memories, and she let out a breath. It had been a long time since she had thought of her endeavours in Coruscant's Undercity, where she had met many high-ranking Imperials. After all, it was a place filled with crime, and most importantly to them, women. She stretched, and sat up to see the view of the Death Star almost completely obstructed by the amount of Star destroyers, TIE fighters, and transports that hovered around it, and, of course, the Super Star Destroyer.<p>

"If they don't go for this, we're gonna have to get outta here pretty quick, Chewie," Han said, and Chewie growled in agreement as he flipped some switches.

A scratchy voice suddenly came over the radio. "We have you on our screen now, please identify."

Han leaned forward in his seat slightly. "Shuttle Tydirium requesting deactivation of the deflector shield," he said, keeping his voice confident.

"Shuttle Tydirium, transmit the clearance code for shield passage," the voice said again.

"Transmission commencing," Han said, and the sound of the transmission filled the room. Leia was watching Han, her face tense.

"Now we found out of that code is worth the price we paid," she said.

"It'll work," Han said, turning to look at her. "It'll work."

Chewie gave off a nervous whine, also not feeling as confident as Han was about the code. Near Anna, Luke was watching the huge Super Star Destroyer.

"Vader's on that ship," Luke said, and Anna too tried to sense the Dark Lord's presence.

"Now don't get jittery Luke, there are a lot of command ships," Han said. "Keep your distance though, Chewie, but don't look like you're trying to keep your distance."

Chewie growled in a questioning tone.

"I don't know, fly casual," Han responded.

"I'm endangering the mission, I shouldn't have come," Luke said. Anna looked over at him, surprised. She could feel Vader's presence as well, but it wasn't bothering her. She knew that if she could feel him, then he could feel both her and Luke.

"It's your imagination, kid," Han said with a dismissal tone. "Come on, let's keep a little optimism here."

Chewie barked nervously, and Anna turned away from Luke.

"You're not the only one that's putting his mission in danger," she said. She could feel him look over at her, but didn't turn to meet his stare.

For a moment, the entire group was tense. Not even the team in the back moved, as if they too knew exactly what was going on.

"Shuttle Tydirium, what is your cargo and destination?" the Imperial asked. Han looked a little bit stunned, but quickly recovered.

"Parts and technical crew for the forest moon," he responded.

There was another swath of silence, and Anna leaned back in her chair. She, like Han, didn't seem to be as worried as everyone else.

"They're not going for it, Chewie," Han said, disappointed. At that moment, the voice over the radio reappeared.

"Shuttle Tydirium, deactivation of the shield will commence immediately," the controller said. "Follow your present course."

The mood in the shuttle instantly lifted. "Okay," Han said, nodding. "I'd told you it'd work, no problem."

They started to fly a little bit faster, and Luke stood up, walking into the hold of the ship. Leia watched him go, but didn't say anything. Instead, she just turned to look at Anna.

"He was right, you know," she said, standing up. "About Vader."

"Just don't take too long," Han said. "And be mindful of the team that's back there."

"Han!" Leia hissed, but Anna was already out of the room. She walked back into the hold, and the team looked up at her.

"He went into the storage locker," one of them said, and she nodded, walking briskly over to the doors in the back. She grabbed the dark green cape that flowed out behind her and rolled her eyes. Surely, whoever had been designing the came outfits could've done a better job with not making them so much like her Jedi robes.

As promised, Luke was in the storage locker, sitting in the far left corner, his head against the wall. She shut the door behind her. The storage room was fairly bare, except for the other weapons that were on the right side of the doorway.

"I shouldn't be here," he said. "Neither should you. We've put this entire plan in jeopardy."

"You can only speak for yourself," she said, her voice coming across a little more harshly than she had expected, but she didn't stop. "Luke, I know that you think you've made a mistake, but I know that I haven't. I want to help this cause, and we can't do that on the Home One, waiting. They let us go, don't you think that it's a good thing?"

"It's not," Luke said, standing up. She watched him carefully. The space was not that big, and the dim light made it difficult to see him, but she could tell from the slight amount that was coming through the door where he was. "It's just made it easier for him. He knows that we'll be on Endor now, and all he has to do is send troops out. He wouldn't have known if we would've stayed away from this mission."

She didn't say anything. "Then you believe what you want," she said. "I'm not going to let my own guilt compromise this mission." With that, she turned and walked out of the storage locker, leaving Luke alone. He watched as she walked away, and he turned back to the wall. Just as she was with him, there were many things that he wasn't going to tell her. One of those things was that his emotions were starting to cloud his judgement, and they weren't just the feelings for her. He knew that there was a part of Vader that could be salvaged, and that was one of the only things that were holding him back from demanding Han to leave him on Endor as soon as they landed. However, his feelings for Anna also were keeping him back, and he leaned against the wall. Everything was so much simpler when she had not been in his life.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all had a good holiday, if you celebrate, and I wish you all a happy new year! 2016 will be the year I finish this story, so I hope you are all excited like I am to get there.<strong>


End file.
